Journal of Counseling Research

Aim: In some marital relationships, although the structural stability of the family remains intact, spouses experience minimal emotional and psychological satisfaction. This study explored the factors influencing women’s persistence in stable yet dissatisfying marriages. Methods: A qualitative research design employing a conventional content analysis approach was used. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 13 women who had remained in their marriages for at least 20 years despite dissatisfaction with their marital lives. Findings: The content analysis identified several key factors contributing to the continuation of these marriages, including economic considerations, children, family influences, cultural and social beliefs, individual personality traits, and spouse-related factors. Among these, financial dependence, concerns about children’s futures, social pressures, lack of essential independence skills, and positive behavioral changes in the spouse were particularly influential. Conclusion: Women’s persistence in stable yet dissatisfying marriages appears to result from an interplay of internal and external factors—economic dependence, the perceived needs of children, familial and social pressures, cultural beliefs, personality traits, and changes in the spouse’s behavior. No single factor alone determines the decision to stay or leave; rather, it is their dynamic interaction that shapes women’s choices. Understanding these dimensions can inform counseling practices and social interventions aimed at recognizing and addressing the needs and challenges of women in such circumstances

Aim: Blended families, due to their distinct structure and specific relational challenges, may create emotional and cognitive pressures for adolescents. Self-help education that strengthens emotion regulation and cognitive flexibility skills can facilitate adolescents’ adaptation to new family conditions. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of an acceptance- and social skills–based self-help educational package on emotion regulation and cognitive flexibility in adolescents from blended families. ▌Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest–posttest control group. The statistical population consisted of 120 female adolescents from blended families enrolled in lower and upper secondary schools in Yazd during the 2023–2024 academic year. Based on inclusion criteria (female adolescents from blended families in Yazd; at least one year having passed since the formation of the new family; enrollment in lower or upper secondary school; low scores on emotion regulation and cognitive flexibility measures; and adolescents’ and parents’ willingness and informed consent to participate), 40 participants were selected through purposive sampling and then randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20). Data were collected using the Gratz and Roemer Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the Dennis and Vander Wal Cognitive Flexibility Inventory. The acceptance- and social skills–based self-help educational program was implemented for the experimental group in ten 60-minute sessions. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). ▌Findings: The results indicated that the acceptance- and social skills–based self-help educational intervention led to a significant increase in emotion regulation (F = 60.30, p < .05) and cognitive flexibility (F = 55.05, p < .05) among adolescents in the experimental group, whereas the control group showed no significant changes in these variables. The findings also demonstrated that acceptance- and social skills–based self-help education can effectively enhance adolescents’ self-management abilities and cognitive–emotional adaptation in blended families. ▌Conclusion: The findings suggest that acceptance- and social skills–based self-help educational interventions can serve as an effective tool for promoting mental health and improving cognitive and emotional adjustment among adolescents in blended families.
 

Aim: The main aim of the present study was to develop a causal model of marital stability based on self-differentiation with the mediating role of conflict management. ▌Method: This study employed a correlational design. The sample consisted of 200 married women selected through cluster sampling from among the parents of students attending first-level secondary schools in District One of Kermanshah. Participants completed the Conflict Management Questionnaire (ENRICH; 1982), the Self-Differentiation Questionnaire (Skowron & Smith, 2003), and the Marital Stability Questionnaire (Edwards et al., 1987). The collected data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS) software, and structural equation modeling with path analysis was applied to examine the relationships among the research variables. ▌Finding: This study employed a correlational design. The sample consisted of 200 married women selected through cluster sampling from among the parents of students attending first-level secondary schools in District One of Kermanshah. Participants completed the Conflict Management Questionnaire (ENRICH; 1982), the Self-Differentiation Questionnaire (Skowron & Smith, 2003), and the Marital Stability Questionnaire (Edwards et al., 1987). The collected data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS) software, and structural equation modeling with path analysis was applied to examine the relationships among the research variables. ▌Conclusion: Individuals with higher levels of self-differentiation manage marital conflicts more effectively, as they possess greater emotional regulation abilities and have achieved higher levels of personal growth. This enables them to engage in more constructive interactions with their spouses and to manage their behaviors more effectively, ultimately leading to greater marital stability and satisfaction.

▌Aim: Families are configured in various forms, and blended families represent one type of family structure that can affect adolescents’ psychological well-being. The present study aimed to develop a conceptual model of factors contributing to maladjustment among adolescent boys aged 13–18 years in blended families, based on the conditions and consequences framework of grounded theory. ▌Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using a grounded theory approach in 1402 (Iranian calendar). The target population consisted of adolescent boys aged 13–18 years from blended families who were attending school in three educational districts, including Districts 1 and 2 of Shahrekord County and the education district of Gandoman City in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. Twelve male students aged 13–18 years were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed according to the Strauss and Corbin coding method. ▌Findings: Coding of the interview data resulted in the identification of 81 open codes, 24 axial codes, and 6 main categories related to factors contributing to maladjustment among adolescent boys in blended families. The findings indicated that lack of secure attachment emerged as the central category in the development of maladjustment among adolescents in blended families. This category was influenced by causal conditions (life ups and downs), contextual and background conditions (cultural conditions and background), and intervening conditions (characteristics of the stepfamily and the quality of interpersonal relationships). In response to the lack of secure attachment, adolescents employed coping strategies that included certain defense mechanisms (idealization, fantasy, retreating into smartphones/virtual space, and emotional disengagement), which ultimately led to consequences such as academic and psychological problems among adolescent boys in blended families. ▌Conclusion: The findings suggest that adolescents’ vulnerability to maladaptive behaviors in blended families is not solely attributable to the conditions of the blended family itself. Rather, stressful events arising from previous family circumstances and the developmental characteristics of adolescence, in combination with blended family conditions, contribute to adolescent maladjustment.