The effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy on marital adjustment and intimacy of women with marital conflicts

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy on marital adjustment and intimacy of women with marital conflicts. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design with the control group. The statistical population of this study included all women with marital conflicts who had referred to counseling centers in Tehran to resolve their family disputes In the six months of autumn and winter 2020, using the Sanai and Barati Marital Conflict Questionnaire (2008). Thirty women with marital conflicts were purposefully selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 in each group). They answered the Lock-Wallace (1959) Marital Adjustment Questionnaire (LWMAT) and the Walker & Thompson (1983) Marital Intimacy Questionnaire (MIS). The experimental group was trained in 8 sessions of 60 minutes (once a week) of dialectical behavior therapy techniques based on Linhan's (1970) training package. Data were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of covariance. Findings showed that the effectiveness of dialectical therapy on marital adjustment (P<0/01, F=17/79) and intimacy of women (P<0/01, F=14/82) with marital conflicts has been confirmed (P <0.05) and women with marital conflicts in the experimental group compared to women with marital conflicts in the control group. After the test, they had significantly more marital adjustment and intimacy (P <0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that dialectical behavior therapy is effective in increasing the marital adjustment and intimacy of couples.