Investigating the Effectiveness of the Relationship Enhancement program training in the Reduction of Covert Relational Aggression and Augmentation of the Relation-Maintaining Strategies

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Student, Department of Psychology, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of relationship enhancement program training with solution focused brief tuning on relationship maintenance strategies. This experimental study was conducted with a pretest – posttest design with control group and followed – up for one and half months. The statistical population of this study included all couples referred to divorce in Karaj city in year 2020 – 2021 and 21 couple with low relationship maintenance strategies were considered as the sample size in two experimental groups (each group consists 7 couples). The experimental groups underwent Gurny’s relationship enhancement program (7 sessions,90 minutes long) and the solution – focused Brief tuning (7 session 90 minutes), but the control group received no trainings and remained on the waiting list to collect data relational maintenance strategies (RMSM) (Staford, 2000). Data analysis was performed using SPSS – 24 software in two sections: descriptive and inferential (analysis of variance with repeated measures and bonferroni). The results of the study shows that both types of treatment in post – test and the follow up had a significant effect on relational maintenance strategies (P<0/05). Also relationship enhancement training had stronger effects on covert relationship maintenance (P<0/05) based on the results of this study, it could be concluded, the relationship enhancement training and solution focused Brief tuning could be used as a treatment to improve covert relationship enhancement in family counseling and couple therapy settings.

Keywords

References

Eldar‐Avidan D, Haj‐Yahia MM, Greenbaum CW. Divorce is a part of my life… resilience, survival,
and vulnerability: Young adults’ perception of the implications of parental divorce. Journal of Marital and
family therapy. 2009;35(1):30-46.
2. Irani ZB, Rezaei T. The effects of social networking on marital relationships and couples quality of
life (Case study: Couples of social networking members in Shiraz). Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
Research. 2019;7(02).
3. Dehghani Mohsen, Ismailian Nasrin, Roshan Mohammad, Akbari Fatemeh. Divorce of psychological,
emotional and legal dimensions. Tehran: Jangal Publications; 2017. 1-295. [In Persian] p.
4. Shahid H, Kazmi SF. Role of emotional regulation in marital satisfaction. International Journal for
Social Studies. 2016;2(4):47-60.
5. Gottman J, Gottman M. Basic Principles of Effective Couple Therapy; Translated by Zahrakar,
Kianoush. Laufpour Nouri. 2016:121. [In Persian]
6. Fincham FD. Marital conflict: Correlates, structure, and context. Current directions in psychological
science. 2003;12(1):23-7.
7. Pietrzak T, Hauke G, Lohr C. Connecting Couples Intervention: Improving couples’ empathy and
emotional regulation using embodied empathy mechanisms. European psychotherapy. 2016;13:66-98.
8. Sierau S, Herzberg PY. Conflict resolution as a dyadic mediator: Considering the partner perspective
on conflict resolution. European Journal of Personality. 2012;26(3):221-32.
9. Yazdani F, Kazemi A, Fooladi MM, Samani HRO. The relations between marital quality, social
support, social acceptance and coping strategies among the infertile Iranian couples. European Journal of
Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology. 2016;200:58-62.
10. Hess JA. Maintaining nonvoluntary relationships with disliked partners: An investigation into the use
of distancing behaviors. Human Communication Research. 2000;26(3):458-88.
11. Cavedo C, Guerney B. Relationship enhancement enrichment and problem-prevention programs:
Therapy-derived, powerful, versatile. Preventive approaches in couples therapy. 1999:73-105.
12. Cooklin AR, Westrupp E, Strazdins L, Giallo R, Martin A, Nicholson JM. Mothers' work–family
conflict and enrichment: Associations with parenting quality and couple relationship. Child: care, health and
development. 2015;41(2):266-77.
13. Yoosefi N, Nasiri Hanis G, Zademohammadi A. Enriching couples' relationship in relationship
enhancement model. Family Pathology, Counseling and Enrichment Journal. 2017;2(2):67-82.
14. Northey Jr WF. Characteristics and clinical practices of marriage and family therapists: A national
survey. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. 2002;28(4):487-94.
15. Beaton J, Dienhart A, Schmidt J, Turner J. Clinical practice patterns of Canadian couple/marital/family
therapists. Journal of marital and family therapy. 2009;35(2):193-203.
16. Gurman AS, Lebow JL, Snyder DK. Clinical handbook of couple therapy: Guilford Publications;
2015.
17. Alavi T, Mafakheri A, Jahanian A. The effectiveness of solution-oriented couple therapy on marital
burnout, marital forgiveness and communication styles of couples affected by extramarital relationships. Feyz
Journal of Kashan University of Medical Sciences. 2021;25(3).
18. Shokri M, Rahmani MA, Abolghasemi S, Tayyebi A. The Effect of Solution-Based Couple Therapy
on Forgiveness, Emotional Self-Regulation and Marital Boredom of Couples Seeking Divorce. Journal of
Consulting Excellence and Psychotherapy: Issue. 2020;9:57-66.
19. Navidian A, Rezaee N, Baniasadi F, Shakiba M. Effect of a couples' relationship enrichment program
on the quality of marital relationships from the perspective of spouses of patients with multiple sclerosis. Issues
in mental health nursing. 2017;38(9):756-62.
20. Alqashan H. Enrichment training program and successful marriage in Kuwait: A field study on
Kuwaiti couples. Digest of Middle East Studies. 2008;17(2):1-16.
21. Masoumi SZ, Khani S, Kazemi F, Kalhori F, Ebrahimi R, Roshanaei G. Effect of marital relationship
enrichment program on marital satisfaction, marital intimacy, and sexual satisfaction of infertile couples.
International journal of fertility & sterility. 2017;11(3):197.
22. Scuka RF. Repairing a relationship imperiled by infidelity: Combining individual work, Relationship
Enhancement® couple therapy and guided visualization to break through an emotional impasse. Sexual and
Relationship Therapy. 2012;27(4):335-43.
23. Scuka RF. Relationship enhancement therapy: Healing through deep empathy and intimate dialogue:
Routledge; 2013.
24. Snyder M. The loss and recovery of erotic intimacy in primary relationships: Narrative therapy and
relationship enhancement therapy. The Family Journal. 2000;8(1):37-46.
medical journal of mashhad university of medical sciences
Volume 64, Issue 4
November and December 2021
Pages 3569-3583

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics