Examining the Effectiveness of Wisdom-Based Couples Therapy on Sense of Coherence, Cognitive-Affective Empathy, and Emotion Regulation in Conflicted Couples

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of wisdom-based couples therapy on the sense of coherence, cognitive-affective empathy, and emotion regulation in conflicted couples.

Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental, utilizing a pre-test–post-test design with a control group and follow-up. The statistical population included all couples with less than five years of marital life in Tehran who sought counseling at Andisheh, Athena, and Golchin Raz counseling centers during the summer and fall of 2023 to improve their intimate relationships. For sample selection, an announcement regarding session formation and initial registration conditions was disseminated to clients and consulting colleagues for referrals. After registration, eligible couples were selected through an initial interview based on the inclusion criteria. A total of 40 individuals were selected using convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20). Notably, each group consisted of eight couples experiencing conflict. The research instruments included the Marital Conflicts Questionnaire (Barati & Sanai, 1996), the Sense of Coherence Scale (Antonovsky, 1993), the Empathy Scale (Baron-Cohen, 2004), and the Emotion Regulation Scale (Williams et al., 1997). Descriptive statistics (charts, tables, frequency, percentage, mean, variance, etc.) were used to organize, summarize, and present the collected data. To test the research hypotheses, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni post-hoc tests were employed for pairwise comparisons among research groups. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 24.

Findings: The results indicated that wisdom-based couples therapy significantly influenced the sense of coherence, cognitive-affective empathy, and emotion regulation in conflicted couples.

Conclusion: Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that wisdom-based couples therapy contributes to the improvement of the sense of coherence, cognitive-affective empathy, and emotion regulation in conflicted couples.