Comparison of the Effectiveness of Schema Therapy and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) in Increasing Marital Intimacy among Couples
Keywords:
effectiveness, schema therapy, emotion-focused therapy (EFT), marital intimacy, couplesAbstract
Intimacy is one of the fundamental pillars of stable relationships and is defined as emotional closeness, trust, the exchange of thoughts and feelings, and mutual understanding between spouses. Accordingly, the present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of schema therapy and emotion-focused therapy (EFT) in increasing marital intimacy among couples. The research employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest, posttest, and follow-up measurements using two experimental groups and one control group. The sample consisted of 60 eligible volunteer couples who had sought services at counseling centers in Hamedan and were purposively selected based on cutoff scores on the Marital Conflict Questionnaire. Participants were then assigned to three groups of 20 individuals. Two groups were randomly designated as the experimental groups (schema therapy and emotion-focused therapy), and the third group served as the control group. Two standardized instruments were used: the Sanaei Marital Conflict Questionnaire (1996) and the Thompson and Walker Marital Intimacy Scale (1983). Considering the statistical assumptions, the research findings were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and the Bonferroni post-hoc test in SPSS version 26. The results indicated a significant difference between the schema-therapy and EFT experimental groups and the control group in marital intimacy (p < .05). Moreover, no significant difference was found between the schema-therapy and EFT groups in the posttest and follow-up phases based on the mean scores of the variable (p < .05). Both schema therapy and emotion-focused therapy are effective in enhancing marital intimacy. Therefore, training in schema therapy and EFT can be used to increase marital intimacy among couples.
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