Applied Family Therapy Journal (AFTJ)

Explaining Attitudes Toward Extramarital Relationships Based on Personality Dimensions and Sexual Schemas: The Mediating Role of Sexual Novelty-Seeking

Hamideh Kaveh

; Mansour Abdi *

; Razieh Jalili

Objective: The present study aimed to explain attitudes toward extramarital relationships based on personality dimensions and sexual schemas, with the mediating role of sexual novelty-seeking.

Methods: This research employed a descriptive-correlational design. The statistical population included all couples who referred to psychological counseling centers and family courts in Tehran in 2021. The sample size was determined as 674 individuals based on Morgan's table and selected using a convenience sampling method considering inclusion and exclusion criteria. Individuals with anxiety or mood disorders were excluded from the study. Research instruments included the Attitudes Toward Extramarital Relationships Questionnaire by Mark (2006), the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (2004), the Questionnaire of Cognitive Schema Activation in Sexual Contexts (QCSASC), and the Glass and Wright Justification for Extramarital Relationships Questionnaire (1992). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and path analysis with LISREL software version 10.20.

Findings: Results indicated that 30.7% of the variance in attitudes toward extramarital relationships was indirectly explained by personality dimensions and sexual schemas, with the mediating role of sexual novelty-seeking. Based on the findings, attitudes toward extramarital relationships were positively and significantly predicted by neuroticism (path coefficient = 0.25), openness to experience (path coefficient = 0.84), sexual schemas (path coefficient = 0.27), and sexual novelty-seeking (path coefficient = 0.16).

Conclusion: The findings revealed that attitudes toward extramarital relationships were negatively and significantly predicted by agreeableness (path coefficient = -0.38) and conscientiousness (path coefficient = -0.33). Thus, personality traits and sexual schemas predict extramarital relationships and sexual novelty-seeking.

Effectiveness of Integrative Systemic-Psychodynamic-Behavioral Couples Therapy on Marital Quality of Life in Dysfunctional Couples Referred to Counseling Centers

Somayeh Pourmeydani *

; Mahnaz Mehrabizadeh Honarmand

, Seyyed Esmaiel Hashemi

, Zabihollah Abbaspour

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of integrative systemic-psychodynamic-behavioral couples therapy on marital quality of life in dysfunctional couples referred to counseling centers in Ahvaz.

Methods: The research design was a single-case experimental design. The study population included all dysfunctional couples who visited counseling centers in Ahvaz in 2019. A convenience sampling method was used, selecting three couples with low marital quality of life, who then received integrative systemic-psychodynamic-behavioral couples therapy over 12 sessions, each lasting 1.5 hours. The Perceived Marital Quality Dimensions Questionnaire (Fletcher et al., 2000) was used in this study. To analyze the data, visual analysis, the stability index, and the percentage of improvement were used.

Findings: The results showed that the stability index during both the treatment and follow-up phases was significant. The overall percentage of improvement also indicated that the effectiveness of integrative systemic-psychodynamic-behavioral therapy on marital quality of life in dysfunctional couples, based on Blanchard’s classification, fell within the "slight improvement" category during both the treatment and follow-up phases, which generally suggested the success of the intervention in improving marital quality of life in dysfunctional couples.

Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that integrative systemic-psychodynamic-behavioral couples therapy can lead to an improvement in marital quality of life.

The Perspectives of Family Specialists on the Socio-Cultural Challenges of Family Therapy Interventions in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Maryam Ordukhani

; Mohsen Kachooei *

; Morteza Keshmiri

Objective: The present study aimed to explore the socio-cultural challenges of family therapy. This applied research utilized a qualitative phenomenological approach.

Methods: The study population consisted of specialists in various fields of couples and family therapy in Tehran province during the years 2022-2023, who met the inclusion criteria for the study. The inclusion criteria were psychologists or counselors with a Master's or Doctoral degree who had at least five years of experience in one of the family-related fields and were willing to collaborate in the research. A purposive, snowball sampling method was used, continuing until data saturation was reached, with a final selection of 15 specialists. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, and the data were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach.

Findings: The findings revealed 24 initial concepts, 5 sub-themes, and 2 main themes as the socio-cultural challenges and factors that perpetuate these challenges. Ineffective application of existing family therapy theories in response to societal changes, social harms affecting family systems over time, and socio-cultural-economic damages were among the sub-themes of challenges. Differences in opinions regarding the strengthening of theory-building and the approach to localizing interventions without relying on existing theories were identified as factors that sustain these challenges.

Conclusion: This study offers a new perspective on the impact of societal context on the effective or ineffective implementation of interventions based on non-native theories, providing an alternative approach to examining the issues of cultural insularity in interventions, beyond considerations of religion and written documents in research.

Consequences of Online Extramarital Relationships from the Men's Perspective: A Qualitative Study

Zeinab Hajizadeh

; Farah Lotfi Kashani *

; Shahram Vaziri

, Qasem Ahi

Objective: The aim of this study is to qualitatively analyze the consequences of online extramarital relationships from the perspective of men.

Method: This research was conducted using a qualitative approach, employing content analysis. Based on the principle of theoretical saturation, twelve men participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, and MAXQDA software was used for coding and categorizing the data.

Findings: The consequences of online extramarital relationships among men can be classified into two main categories and five subcategories. The results indicate that hiding the relationship while maintaining marital life, public disclosure, divorce, and separation are among the consequences of online extramarital relationships from the men's perspective.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this study highlights the complex dynamics of online infidelity among men in Mashhad, Iran, revealing key themes such as relationship concealment, marital dissatisfaction, and the impact on trust and family stability. The findings underscore the importance of understanding cultural and individual factors in the context of extramarital relationships and provide a foundation for future research on the psychological and relational consequences of online infidelity.

Effectiveness of Paradoxical Couple Therapy on Self-Differentiation and Marital Intimacy in Couples with Marital Conflict

Romina Joudari

; Mehryar Anasseri *

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of paradoxical couple therapy on self-differentiation, communication beliefs, and marital intimacy in couples experiencing marital conflict.

Method: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up, using a control group. The statistical population consisted of all couples with marital conflict in Tehran in 2023. Fourteen couples experiencing marital conflict were selected using a non-random, purposive sampling method, and then, through random assignment, 7 couples were assigned to the experimental group and 7 couples to the control group. The experimental group participated in 8 sessions of paradoxical couple therapy, and after dropouts, 6 participants successfully completed the therapy. The control group received no intervention. To match the number of participants, couples were randomly excluded from the control group to account for dropouts in the experimental group. The study utilized questionnaires measuring self-differentiation, communication beliefs, and marital intimacy. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and SPSS 22 software.

Findings: The findings indicated that there was a significant difference between the post-test mean scores of the experimental and control groups. Paradoxical couple therapy significantly improved self-differentiation (F = 4.93, p = 0.035) and marital intimacy (F = 41.16, p = 0.001).

Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, interventions based on the paradoxical approach can effectively improve self-differentiation, communication beliefs, and marital intimacy.

Validation of the Emotional Responses to Sexual Infidelity Scale in Individuals Affected by Sexual Infidelity

Seyed Mojtaba Aghili *

; Fatemeh Charkhandeh

, Arastoo Mirani

Objective: The aim of the present study was to validate the Emotional Responses to Sexual Infidelity Scale in individuals affected by sexual infidelity.

Methods: This research employed a descriptive-analytical validation approach. The statistical population comprised individuals affected by sexual infidelity by their spouses, who sought assistance from psychological counseling centers and the Dispute Resolution Council in the city of Gorgan in 2023. A sample of 415 individuals was selected using a sample size estimation method. Data were collected using the Emotional Responses to Sexual Infidelity Scale developed by Turliuca & Scutarua (2014). After evaluating content validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to assess construct validity. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to examine reliability, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient test was applied for further investigation of the main research variables. Analyses were conducted using SPSS and AMOS24 software.

Findings: Confirmatory factor analysis findings demonstrated that the single-factor model of the Emotional Responses to Sexual Infidelity Scale exhibited good fit, based on the following indices: RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.91, and IFI = 0.92. The reliability of the 27-item Emotional Responses to Sexual Infidelity Scale was determined to be 0.81 based on Cronbach’s alpha. The content validity of the questionnaire exceeded 0.99. Bartlett’s test yielded a chi-square value of 748.65, degrees of freedom of 105, a significance level of 0.001, and KMO = 0.77.

Conclusion: The results indicate that the present scale has favorable psychometric properties for use in the Iranian population of individuals affected by sexual infidelity. It can be employed as a reliable instrument in future research and diagnostic contexts.

Development of a Pre-Marital Integrative Training Package Based on Bowen and Savickas Models and Comparison of Its Effectiveness with the SYMBIS Approach on Self-Awareness and Marital Choice Orientation

Ali Raki

; Seyed Hamid Atashpour *

; Mohsen Golparvar

Objective: The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of an integrative pre-marital training package based on Bowen's intergenerational theory and life design model with the SYMBIS approach on marital choice orientation.

Methods: A quasi-experimental research design with a pretest-posttest-follow-up model and two experimental groups and one control group was utilized. The statistical population consisted of university students in Isfahan. The sample included 45 female students selected through convenience sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomly assigned to three groups (integrative training group, SYMBIS group, and control group), each containing 20 participants. The experimental groups received eight 90-minute training sessions, while the control group was placed on a waiting list. All three groups completed research instruments at the pretest, posttest, and follow-up stages. The research instrument was the Marital Choice Orientation Questionnaire (Yousefi, 2023). Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.

Findings: Results indicated that both the integrative training group and the SYMBIS group significantly influenced marital choice orientation (F = 15.5, P = 0.001), and this effect remained stable during the follow-up phase (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The findings revealed that both methods had a significant and comparable impact on improving the dependent variable, suggesting their utility in enhancing marital choice orientation.

Marital Satisfaction Based on Father Involvement in Parenting, Problem-Solving Skills, and Cognitive Emotion Regulation through Emotional Empathy in Mothers of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Matin Farahbakhsh Daghigh

; Rezvan Homai *

; Hamdallah Jayrvand

Objective: This study aimed to investigate marital satisfaction based on father involvement in parenting, problem-solving skills, and cognitive emotion regulation through emotional empathy in mothers of children with cerebral palsy.

Methods: The research design was descriptive-survey and used a structural equations approach. The statistical population included 148 mothers of children with cerebral palsy in the city of Rasht in 2022. Using a census and purposive sampling method, all 148 individuals were selected as the sample. Data were collected using the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire, Alabama Parenting Test (Parent Form), Family Problem-Solving Questionnaire, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and Emotional Empathy Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS (version 28) and Lisrel (version 10).

Findings: The findings showed a direct relationship between father involvement in parenting, problem-solving skills, cognitive emotion regulation, and emotional empathy with marital satisfaction (p ≤ .01). An indirect relationship was also found between father involvement in parenting, problem-solving skills, and cognitive emotion regulation through the mediation of emotional empathy with marital satisfaction (p ≤ .01).

Conclusion: To alleviate or reduce the burden on mothers of children with cerebral palsy, fathers must actively participate in parenting. This collaboration enables both parents to solve problems and control negative emotions while supporting each other with a high level of emotional empathy, thereby fostering and enhancing marital satisfaction.

About the Journal

E-ISSN: 3041-8798
Director in Charge: Dr. Seyed Ali Darbani
Editor-in-chief: Dr. Shokoh Navabinejad
Associate editor: Dr. Seyed Ali Darbani
Owner: Iranian Association for Women's Studies
Publisher: KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB)
Contact Email: aftjournal@gmail.com / aftjournal@kmanpub.com
Open Access: YES

Applied Family Therapy Journal is a scientific open access double-blind anonymous open (since 2024) peer-reviewed journal publishing original articles, reviews, short communications and scientific reports of a high scientific and ethical standard in psychology, counseling and related academic disciplines. This journal is published four times per year in English by Iranian Association for Women's Studies and KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB).

Since 2024, this journal only accepts and publishes articles in English and no longer publishes Persian articles.

The research fields and topics within the activity framework of AFTJ include: