The effectiveness of educational interventions of enrichment of marital life with emotional-focused approach during pregnancy on couples' marital satisfaction after the birth of the first child

Document Type : Original

Authors

1 PhD of psychology, Olom Tahghighat, Tehran. Iran

2 president of university, Oloom tahghighat, Azad University, Tehran, Iran

3 Professor, The president of psychology of oloom tahghighat, Azad University, Tehran, Iran

4 Professor, The president of Psychology of Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The birth of the first child as a stressful event can cause fear, anger, and distress in parents' relationship. The purpose of this study was to compile an educational package for the enrichment of marital life with Emotion-Focused Approach and investigate its efficacy on couples’ marital satisfaction after the birth of the first child. The research method is quasi-experimental and was carried out with the design of pre-test, post-test with control group and two months follow up. The statistical population included couples referring to hospitals and gynecologists' private offices in regions 3 and 10 in Tehran in 2016. The research sample consisted of 28 couples (56 people) who were selected through convenient sampling and were randomly divided into two groups of 28 persons of experimental (14 couples) and control (14 couples). The experimental group participated in 9 weekly 3-hour sessions with the educational intervention of marital life enrichment with emotional focused approach for each couple, and no intervention was carried out for the control group during the same time. To collect the data, the Marital satisfaction questionnaire (Enrich, 1989), and personal Information questionnaire and adult attachment styles inventory (Hazan & Shaver, 1987) were used. The result of multivariate variance analysis of disparity scores (Pre-test –post-test) showed that educational intervention of marital life enrichment with Emotional Focused approach was effective on couples’ marital satisfaction (F=129.83, P<0.001 and) and its components, conflict resolution (F=95.18, P<0.001), satisfaction from communication with friends (F=99.38, P<0.001), couples communication (F=41.03, P<0.001), personality issues (F=15.66, P<0.001), leisure activities (F=41.03, P<0.001) and parenting (F=14.26, P<0.001) during mothers’ pregnancy. Furthermore, the results of follow-up analysis indicated that there was a significant difference between follow-up and pre-test phases and it showed the permanency of the treatment effect. Therefore, the educational package for the enrichment of marital life with Emotional Focused approach is suggested to be used during the 3-6 months of mothers' pregnancy, in hospitals, well-fare centers, and counseling clinics in order to increase the marital satisfaction of new parents during pregnancy and after childbirth.

Keywords

References

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Family Counseling and Psychotherapy
Volume 7, Issue 2 - Serial Number 24
February 2018
Pages 55-81

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  • Receive Date: 09 February 2018
  • Accept Date: 09 February 2018

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