Comparison of the Effectiveness of Group Training in Marital Conflict Resolution Based on Choice Theory and Marital Life Skills on Hope for Life in Married Women
Keywords:
Hope for life, marital conflict resolution, marital life skills, choice theoryAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of group marital conflict resolution training based on choice theory and marital life skills on components of hope for life in married women.
Methodology: A quasi-experimental research design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages and a control group was employed. The study population included married women attending counseling centers in Alborz Province in 2023. A total of 75 women were randomly selected and assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. Experimental group 1 received nine 90-minute sessions of choice theory-based conflict resolution training, while experimental group 2 received seven 90-minute sessions of marital life skills training. The Snyder Hope for Life Questionnaire (1991) was used for data collection, and the data were analyzed using mixed analysis of variance.
Findings: The results revealed that both interventions significantly improved the strategic thinking component of hope for life in the experimental groups compared to the control group. No significant effects were found on the agency thinking component. Moreover, the choice theory-based training was more effective than the marital life skills training in enhancing strategic thinking in both the short- and long-term follow-ups.
Conclusion: Choice theory-based group training is more effective than marital life skills training in improving the strategic thinking aspect of hope for life in married women. These results suggest that conflict resolution interventions grounded in choice theory may play a vital role in increasing psychological resilience and life optimism among women in marital relationships.
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