Iran Journal of Nursing

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Background: Half of the unsuccessful marriages is due to unsatisfying sexual relation. Absence of safe sexual relation between couples leads to marital failure and repel. Accompany with other conditions such as lack of mutual understanding, the destruction of family, structure will occur, and the rate of divorce will be increased. Through marital counseling, couples information about desirable sex relation can be improved and family solidity and health will be guaranteed. Objective: To determine the effect of marital counseling on sexual satisfaction of couples. Design: This was a field trial study with control group. Sample: 60 couples were selected and randomly assigned to one of trial or control group(30 couples in counseling group and 30 in the other one). Result: Findings showed that at the beginning of the study 50% of women in counseling group had middle and 3.34% had little sexual satisfaction, 66.67% of women without counseling had high sexual satisfaction, while 60% of men in counseling group and 66.67% of them in the group without counseling, mentioned high sexual satisfaction. Meanwhile, at the beginning of the research women and men of both groups were the same from the point of sexual satisfaction, but one month later, 100% of men and women in counseling group verbalized high sexual satisfaction. Statistical tests showed that sexual satisfaction of men and women in counseling group was more than the control group. Conclusion: Findings indicated that marital counseling had a positive effect on the quality of sexual relation, and increased couples sexual satisfaction. Therefore, it is recommended that girls and boys participate in counseling sessions before marriage. Further researches in different aspects of sexual satisfaction is also recommended.

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Abstract

Background & Aim: One of the most important factors that lead to maladjustment and conflict in marital life is relationship problem of couples, which is the result of lacking appropriate and necessary skills for establishing healthy and intimate relationships. The present research was conducted by the aim of investigating the effect of relationship enhancement program on reducing marital conflicts of dual-career couples.

Materials & Methods: The current study uses quasi-experimental method; where-in pretest-posttest design with control group has been used. The population of the present research comprised of all married women employed in the department of education of Shahryar city in 2013, who demanded to participate in the training sessions. By using available sampling method, 20 of the female teachers who showed highest levels of conflict with their spouses in marital conflicts questionnaire of Barati and Sanaei were selected and they were placed in two groups of control and experiment by random assignment method. The sessions of relationship enhancement program were held in 8 sessions in groups for the experiment group, but the control group did not receive any intervention. The data were analyzed through methods of descriptive statistics and multivariate covariance analysis in SPSS v.16 software.

Results: The results showed that the training of relationship enhancement program (REP) has led to significant decrease in marital conflicts among the women of the experiment group in the posttest stage (F = 13.92 & P > 0.01), and it has led to significant decrease in all the components of this variable, as well; including reduction of cooperation, reduction of sexual relationship, increased emotional reactions, increase in drawing child’s support, increased personal relationship with relatives, reduction of family relationship with relatives of spouse and friends, and separating financial matters from each other.

Conclusion: Findings of the present research suggested that relationship enhancement program has been effective in reducing marital conflicts among dual-career couples. It is recommended that future studies examine the effectiveness of marriage enrichment program on marital variables.

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Abstract

Background & Aim: Solution- focused brief therapy is among modern approaches in individual, couple and family therapies which focus on finding solutions rather than on problems. The present study was conducted by the aim of investigating the effectiveness of solution focused brief therapy in reducing depression and uplifting marital satisfaction in married women.

Material & Method: The present study was a quasi-experimental research with pretest-posttest design with control group. The research population consisted of all married women with depression and unsatisfied with marital life who visited Hamyaran-e-Salamat mental center of Ravanshahr, Bojnourd city in the second half of 2014. Among the applicants to participate in the research, 30 women were selected by available sampling method and they were randomly assigned into control and experiment groups. The research tools were the Depression Inventory of Beck and the Enrich Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire which were completed by participants in pre-test, post-test and follow-up stages. Afterwards, the solution-focused intervention was offered to the experimental group for 6 sessions, but the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed via multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and repeated measures method by SPSS (v.16) Software.

Results: After the posttest and follow-up stages, results suggested a significant reduction in depression and increase in marital satisfaction scores in the experimental group compared to the control group. The findings indicate that the solution-focused brief therapy reduced the rate of depression and increased marital satisfaction among women in the intervention group. The results were persistent in the follow-up stage, as well.

Conclusion: The results demonstrated the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy in decreasing depression and increasing marital satisfaction. Therefore, conducting interventions based on this therapeutic approach can be effective in reducing psychological problems, such as depression and will improve the marital relationships of clients.