Comparing the effectiveness of Gottman's and McMaster's systemic couple therapy models on psychological flexibility and emotional balance in couples with conflict

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD student in Counseling, Department of Counseling, Khom.C., Islamic Azad University, Khomein, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

3 Professor, Department of Counseling, Khom.C., Islamic Azad University, Khomein, Iran.

10.22038/mjms.2026.92086.5157

Abstract

Background and Objective: Marital relationships are one of the most important areas of life together, and their quality is directly related to the mental health and satisfaction of couples. Psychological flexibility and emotional balance are key factors in managing conflicts and improving the quality of relationships. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Gottman's couple therapy model and McMaster's systemic model on psychological flexibility and emotional balance in couples with conflict. Methods: The research method was a quasi-experimental multi-group pretest-post test design with a three-month follow-up. The sample consisted of 90 individuals (45 couples) referring to the Frieden County Counseling and Guidance Center who were randomly divided into two experimental groups and a control group.
The research tools included the Ben-Itzhak, Blevstein, and Moore (2014) Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire and the SPANE Emotional Balance Questionnaire by Edward Diener et al. (2010).
The first experimental group underwent ten sessions of Gottman couple therapy, and the second experimental group underwent ten sessions of McMaster couple therapy. After training, all groups were post-tested and a three-month follow-up was conducted to assess the persistence of effects. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that both models play a significant role in improving the psychological and emotional indicators of couples and can help improve the quality of marital relationships.

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Medical Journal of Mashhad university of Medical Sciences
Volume 68, Issue 6
January and February 2026
Pages 1708-1724

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