The Effectiveness of the Maher Crystallized Intelligence Psycho-Cognitive Abilities Enhancement Package on Marital Conflict in Couples Referring to Counseling Clinics
Keywords:
Marital conflicts, Psycho-cognitive abilities, Marital adjustment, Crystallized intelligence, skilled psycho-educational interventionAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the Maher crystallized intelligence-based psycho-cognitive abilities enhancement package in reducing marital conflicts and improving the relationship quality of couples attending counseling clinics in Tehran.
Methodology: The research adopted a semi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages using a control group. The statistical population included couples with communication problems referred to counseling centers in Tehran during 2023–2024. Forty couples were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Data were collected using the Spanier Marital Adjustment Questionnaire and the Thanei-Zaker Marital Conflicts Questionnaire. The experimental group received 17 sessions of 90-minute group training based on the Maher crystallized intelligence package, covering emotional, social, spiritual, analytical, and metacognitive intelligences. The control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA in SPSS version 27.
Findings: Results from paired t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant reduction in marital conflict scores in the experimental group in both post-test and follow-up stages (p<0.05), while no significant changes were observed in the control group. The intervention produced meaningful improvements across all subscales of marital conflict, including decreased cooperation, reduced sexual relationship issues, lowered emotional reactivity, decreased child support seeking, balanced relationships with relatives, and decreased financial separation. The effects remained stable during follow-up, indicating the durability of the intervention’s impact.
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that the Maher crystallized intelligence-based psycho-cognitive enhancement package serves as an effective, multifaceted intervention for reducing marital conflicts and enhancing marital adjustment and relationship functioning among couples.
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