The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy on Marital Conflicts, Marital Intimacy, and Marital Satisfaction in Couples Experiencing Emotional Divorce
Keywords:
Schema Therapy, Marital Conflict, Marital Intimacy, Marital Satisfaction, Emotional DivorceAbstract
Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy on marital conflicts, marital intimacy, and marital satisfaction among couples experiencing emotional divorce.
Methodology: This study employed a semi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and control group. The statistical population included couples experiencing emotional divorce who referred to counseling centers in Tehran in 2025. Thirty couples (60 participants) were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Research instruments included the Marital Conflict Questionnaire, Bagarozzi Marital Intimacy Questionnaire, ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire, Gottman Emotional Divorce Questionnaire, and Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form. The experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of schema therapy, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc test through SPSS version 26.
Findings: The results indicated that schema therapy significantly reduced marital conflicts and significantly increased marital intimacy and marital satisfaction in the experimental group compared to the control group (P<0.001). Multivariate analyses demonstrated significant effects of group, time, and the interaction between time and group on the dependent variables. The obtained effect sizes suggested that a substantial proportion of the observed changes in marital relationship quality was attributable to the schema therapy intervention. Furthermore, the therapeutic effects remained relatively stable during the follow-up phase.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that schema therapy is an effective intervention for improving marital relationships among couples experiencing emotional divorce. By identifying and modifying early maladaptive schemas and strengthening the healthy adult mode, schema therapy can reduce dysfunctional interaction patterns, improve intimacy, and enhance marital satisfaction. Therefore, this therapeutic approach may be effectively applied in family counseling centers and divorce prevention programs.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Pooneh Nazakat , Fatemeh Hooshmand , Negar Babaei , Alaleh Ataherian , Arsalan Barkat (Author)
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