Journal of counseling research

Effectiveness of Self Regulation-Attachment Couple Therapy on Marital Commitment and Sexual Function of Women with Extramarital Affair

Mahmoud Goudarzi

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of self regulation-attachment couple therapy on improving marital commitment and sexual function in women with extra-marital affair. Methods: Semi-experimental research method with pre/post-test and control group including follow-up was used. The statistical population included women with extramarital affair referred to the counseling center for women in the city of Sanandaj, Iran. Using available sampling method, 30 subjects were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 participants each). Marital Commitment Questionnaire (Adams, Jones, 1997) and Women's Sexual Function Questionnaire (Rosen, Grandon, Myers, Hutty, 2004) were used. The intervention group received self regulation-attachment couple therapy through 8 ninety-minute sessions on a weekly basis. Data was analyzed using mixed analysis of variance. Findings: Results showed that self regulation-attachment couple therapy programs significantly improved the marital commitment and sexual function. Follow-up analyses showed that these results remained stable after three months (P<0/001). Conclusion: self regulation-attachment couple therapy approach by helping women achieve greater adjustment in relationship, dialogue and negotiation, increasing the ability to interact and improve the marital commitment and sexual function in women with extramarital affair. Discussions: The findings of the present study show that studying counseling and internship in this field has influenced students’ views of marriage and marital relationships in various ways.

The Effectiveness of Pluralist Family Communication Model Education on Marital Satisfaction in Women with Premenstrual syndrome Syndrome (PMS)

Afshin Safarnia

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of teaching the pluralistic family communication model on marital satisfaction of women with premenstrual syndrome. Methods: The research method was semi-experimental with pre/post-test and control group. The statistical population consisted of all women with premenstrual syndrome who referred to marriage clinic of Kermanshah (Iran) in autumn and winter of 2016. Of these, 30 were selected by purposeful sampling and were selected through an initial interview and randomly placed into treatment and control groups in equal numbers. The Enrich Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire was used in two stages of pre-test and post-test for data collection. Group intervention of the pluralistic communicative communication model was performed on the experimental group for 9 one-and-half hour weekly sessions, while no intervention was performed for the control group. Results: The results of one-way covariance analysis on pre-treatment and treatment scores showed that the teaching of the pluralistic family communication model had a significant effect on marital satisfaction of women with premenstrual syndrome (p> 0.001). Conclusion: based on the findings of the present study, teaching a pluralistic communication model that is based on high-level dialogue plays a key role in marital satisfaction of women with premenstrual syndrome.

Comparison of the effect of existential, cognitive-existential, and humanistic-existential group psychotherapy on sexual satisfaction in women with type II diabetes

Masoud Sadeghi

Aim: The purpose of this research was to study the comparison of the effectiveness of existential, cognitive-existential, and humanistic-existential group psychotherapy on sexual satisfaction among women with type-2 diabetes. Methods: The research was a randomized controlled trial conducted through an experimental method and its experimental design included a pre-test, post-test, with two-month follow-up test with parallel experimental groups and a control group. The research sample population included women with type 2 diabetes referred to Towhid diabetes hospital during the first quarter of 2019. Thirty-two subjects were selected from this population through random sampling and assigned to the two experimental and the control group using random assignment. Data was collected using the Sexual Satisfaction Scale (Meston & Trapnell, 2005). Experimental groups' subjects participated in 9 separate 120-minute weekly groups sessions. Findings: The results of the general linear model with repeated measures test showed that interventions of cognitive-existential and humanistic-existential significantly increased sexual satisfaction compared to the control group (F= 4; P<0/05). The results also showed the greater effect of the cognitive-existential (MD= 6; P<0/05) and humanistic-existential groups (MD= 1; P<0/05) on the post-test and a greater effect of the existential group on the follow-up test (MD= 12; P<0/05). Conclusion: The application of cognitive-existential and humanistic-existential group psychotherapy to increase sexual satisfaction among women with type-2 diabetes is more effective than existential psychotherapy for successful counseling and psychotherapy.

Presenting causal model in explaining the relationship between self-differentiation and forgiveness with marital satisfaction based on the mediating role of religious orientation

Nadereh Toloo Takmili Torabi

Aim: The aim of this study was to explain the relationship between self-differentiation and forgiveness with marital satisfaction based on the mediating role of religious orientation. Methods: The research method was descriptive-correlational and the statistical population included all married teachers working in the sixth and seventh grade in Tehran's 6th educational district, with a total of 4,080 people, among whom 28 schools and 304 volunteer teachers were randomly selected. To collect research data, the following tools were used: Differentiation of Self Inventory by Skowron, E. A., & Schmitt (2003), Family Forgiveness Scale by Pollard, Anderson, Anderson & Jennings (1998), Religious Orientation Questionnaire by Allport & Ross (1967), and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale by Fournier, Olson & Druckman (1983) were used. After deleting 10 distorted questionnaires and 3 outliers, structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Results: In this study, the direct path coefficient between internal religious orientation and marital satisfaction (P<0.01, β=0.337) was positive and significant at the 0.01 level. Indirect path coefficient between self-differentiation and marital satisfaction (β = 0.149, P <0.01) and indirect path coefficient between forgiveness and marital satisfaction (P <0.01, β = 0.129) were positive and significant at 0.01 level. Conclusion: Since internal religious orientation can be effective in improving relationships and marital satisfaction, it is suggested that in marital counseling, strengthening the religious beliefs of couples be used.

Effectiveness of group counseling based on Lazarus multimodal approach on psychographic well-being of male students

Iman Mesbah

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of group counseling based on Lazarus multimodal approach on psychological well-being of rural male students. Methods: This was a semi-experimental study including pre-test and post-test design, with control group. The study population included all male high school students in rural areas of city of Andimeshk in Iran. Thirty students were chosen through cluster sampling method who obtained the total score lower than average on the psychographic well-being scale, and randomly assigned to experimental (n=15) and control groups (n=15). The experimental group received 8 ninety-minute weekly sessions of multimodal counseling. The research instrument included the short form of Ryff Psychological Well-being Questionnaire. At the end of the sessions, post-test was performed for both groups. Data were analyzed by the analysis of covariance. Results: The results showed that there is significant difference between experimental and control groups in measures of psychological well-being (p>0/001). The final achievement of this study was the effectiveness of group counseling based on Lazarus multimodal approach on increasing the psychological well-being of male students. Conclusion: In general, the research findings indicate the role and importance of multimodal therapy in increasing psychological well-being.

Effectiveness of vocational rehabilitation counseling based on Social Cognitive Career Theory on career goal engagement in individuals with visual impairment: a single subject study

Parisa Nilforooshan

Aim:The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness of career social cognitive counseling on career goal engagement of individuals with visual impairment. Method: Statistical population included all visual impairment individuals who were between 18-40 years old and lived in Isfahan city. The sample includes two people with visual impairment (one male and one female) that selected using purposeful non-random sampling. Data collected using career goal engagement scale. This research was a single-subject experimental design in form of an AB design. In this method, after the baseline condition, career counseling based on Social Cognitive Career Theory presented during 10 sessions. Data was analyzed based on descriptive statistics' and visual analysis indices. Findings: Visual analysis using the index of percentage of non-overlapping data (PND) indicated that intervention had an effective on career goal engagement of both participants. Conclusion: By considering the presence of different barriers in the lives of individuals with visual impairment and the importance of career goal engagement, the vocational rehabilitation counseling based on Social Cognitive Career Theory can be an effective intervention for encouraging individuals with visual impairment to commit to their career goals. This intervention can be applied in rehabilitation services centers for individuals with visual impairment.

Investigating the Lived Experiences of Career Couples from Marital Conflicts: A Phenomenological Study

Rohollah rahimi

Aim: The purpose of this study was to extract the lived experiences of working couples from marital conflicts. Methods: This study was conducted with a qualitative approach using interpretive phenomenology. In this study, researchers interviewed 12 working couples with marital conflicts using purposeful sampling. Interviews were analyzed using interpretive phenomenology. Findings: Analyzing the data from the interviews led to the identification of the 14 main themes: financial conflict, inappropriate interactions in social media, lack of participation in house chores, ineffective communication, inability in reciprocal empathy and expression, lack of time management, conflict of roles and responsibilities, cognition vulnerability, adherence to gender stereotypes, inability to manage tasks at job and work environment, work-family conflict, power struggles, ultra-personal destructive factors and belief and ethical problems, 55 primary and 12 secondary themes in the lived experiences of working couples from marital conflicts. Conclusion: A dual-career family is a place where couples are more likely to enter into marital conflicts if they do not realize fairness in various areas of family and work. The results of the present study showed that the families of career couples may be a high-risk group in terms of conflict, and this factor indicates the need for a negotiating role in the relationship between this type of couple. This highlights the need for special couple therapy for these couples. The results of the present study also showed that ineffective communication, cognitive vulnerability, work-family interaction, financial conflict and lack of participation in home affairs, were the most common causes of marital conflict; so it is recommended that preventive and educational programs for couples include the abovementioned factors.

Studying the Influence of the Academic Teachings of Counseling Students and Graduates on Their Perspectives about Marriage and Marital Relationships: A Qualitative Study

yaser madani

Aim: The present study was conducted to study the lived experiences of graduate students in the field of counseling and to examine the influence of their education process on their views on marriage and marital relationships. Methods: The method of this research was qualitative and phenomenological in type. Participants in this study were 16 graduate students, selected through purposeful sampling. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews. Findings: In the dimension of positive experiences, 4 main themes were obtained that included raising awareness, growing awareness of personal abilities, improving interpersonal communication skills, and experiences around marriage. Finally, the following themes of the main categories are understood: self-awareness, increasing awareness of other people's personality traits, growing self-confidence, feeling beneficial, improvement of family and social relationships, achieving a systemic view in the family, increasing empathy, control emotions, changes in attitudes toward premarital acquaintance and emphasis on premarital counseling, new attitudes about marriage, importance of awareness about premarital counseling, and changes in gender stereotypes (in male participants). In the dimension of negative experiences, the main themes included experiences related to the phenomenon of marriage and negative effects on relationships. The following themes were extracted: decreased emotional excitement about the partner, increased sensitivity and obsession in relationships, change in attitudes toward men (on the part of female participants), creating a sense misunderstanding in family and social relationships due to differences in the level of knowledge, and existence of some level of irrational expectations from graduates in this field. Conclusion: According to the findings, the lived experience of participants showed that studying counseling can influence the personal life and perspective about marriage and marital relationships from different aspects.

Analysis of Experiences and Psychological Perceptions of Recovered COVID-19 Patients

Sahar Ghafouri

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the experiences and psychological perceptions of recovered COVID-19 patients. Methods: This research was conducted using qualitative approach of phenomenology type. The population of this study included the patients recovered from Corona virus in Tehran province. Sampling was performed purposefully. The research was conducted through semi-structured interviews. Collaizi’s seven-step method was applied for analyzing the data. Findings: After coding the interviews and categorizing the topics, the following nine main themes were obtained: initial reaction of loneliness and the need for receiving compassion, negative consequences, proximity to death and the reaction of individuals toward it, effective coping activities, mutual transmission of mental status of the patient, caregivers and medical staff, the effect of illness on meaning and style of life, preoccupation with duties and responsibilities. Conclusion: The present study showed that the experiences of Covid-19 patients have similarities and differences and being ware of these experiences may help the experts and policymakers to prevent the psychological crisis in the post-corona period and prepare the people psychologically in the society to face the epidemics.

Evaluation of psychological consequences and complications and family challenges caused by coronary conditions in employed people

Rogayyeh Mousavi

Aim: The Covid Pandemic has 19 different psychological effects such as stress, anxiety, fear, etc., and various family consequences on employed people. This study was designed and conducted to identify the psychological consequences and family challenges caused by coronary conditions in employed people. Methods: This study was conducted with a qualitative approach and phenomenological method. The statistical population was employed people in Tehran in 1399, which included criteria such as having worked in that job for a year and working in governmental, non-governmental, service, health, freelance and .... organizations. The statistical sample includes 16 people who were purposefully and accessibly selected. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect information. claizi's descriptive phenomenological approach was used to analyze the data. Results: The findings of this study were identified in the form of main categories and sub-categories. In reviewing the results from the 3 general questions extracted from the research, 16 main categories of negative emotions, occupation, recreation, vitality, order, stress, care, opportunity, education, communication and physical problems, negative impact, tolerance, positive impact, no problem And telecommuting was achieved. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the corona virus pandemic in Iran is a new and unpredictable experience for all people that has negative and different psychological effects on the working community. Therefore, it is suggested that psychological interventions be performed to improve mental health and reduce the psychological consequences of the working community.