Development of a Verbal Intelligence Training Package for Couples: A Qualitative Study
Keywords:
Training package, Verbal intelligence, Marital conflicts, Marital adjustmentAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to design, develop, and validate a verbal intelligence training package to improve marital conflict resolution and enhance marital adjustment among couples.
Methodology: A qualitative research design based on content analysis was employed. Participants included married individuals experiencing marital conflicts and experts in family psychology and counseling. Purposive criterion-based sampling was conducted until theoretical saturation was achieved. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted, of which twelve non-redundant interviews were included in the final analysis. Data were analyzed using a seven-step qualitative analysis approach involving open, axial, and selective coding to construct the conceptual framework of the training package. Following initial development, the content validity of the package was evaluated by fifteen experts using Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI). Subsequently, a preliminary pilot implementation was conducted with four couples, and pre-test, post-test, and follow-up data were collected.
Findings: Qualitative analysis indicated that enhancing verbal intelligence—through improving communicational interaction skills, strengthening adaptive coping strategies, and reinforcing facilitating communication factors—may reduce marital conflicts and increase marital adjustment. Content validity indices demonstrated strong expert agreement regarding the scientific rigor and structural coherence of the training package. Preliminary results revealed a decreasing trend in marital conflict scores and an increasing trend in marital adjustment scores following the intervention, suggesting its potential effectiveness.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that focusing on verbal intelligence as a cognitive-communicative construct provides an innovative and effective framework for improving marital relationship quality and may serve as both a preventive and therapeutic approach in couple counseling interventions.
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