The Effect of a Family-Centered Program to Manage Domestic Roles on Marital Satisfaction in Female Nurses

Background and Objectives:  Marital satisfaction is vital for the continuation of married life, and one of the factors negatively affecting this satisfaction is women's employment in stressful positions, especially in families where the division of domestic tasks is traditionally based on gender. This study was conducted to determine the effect of a family-centered program to manage domestic roles on marital satisfaction in female nurses. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design with a control group and a two-month follow-up. The study population consisted of married female nurses working in two hospitals in Zabol City, Iran.  Based on the determined sample size, this study was conducted on 50 female nurses and their husbands, who were randomly divided into the trial (25 couples) and control (25 couples) groups. Data were collected using Carlson's work-family conflict scale (WFCS) (Carlson et al. 2000) and the enrich marital satisfaction questionnaire (1998). The trial group received a family-centered educational-supportive program to empower them in performing domestic roles and was compared to the control group after a two-month follow-up. Data were analyzed in SPSS-20 using the chi-square and independent tests for parametric data and Mann-Whitney's U test for nonparametric data, at the significance level of P < 0.05. Results: The mean score of marital satisfaction was significantly higher in the trial group compared to the control group after the intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The educational-supportive program for family management based on family-centered care decreased work-family conflict (WFC) in female nurses and led to improvements in marital satisfaction.