Effectiveness of family therapy on its cohesion and flexibility

Introduction: Family is the main part of a society and achieving a healthy society is because of a healthy family. Exact description of societal characteristics requires studying profoundly and clearly about the family relationship in that very society. Therefore, the most important thing for improving a society is to improve the family and the relationship between its members. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of Satir family therapy on family cohesion and flexibility. Method: The research employed a semi-experimental method with pre-test, post-test and control group design. The statistical population included all the female students studying in the first grade of high schools located in Some Sara City from 2012 to 2013. A sample of 16 students along with their mothers was randomly selected from those who had scored lower on family flexibility and cohesion and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The group then underwent eight 90-minute sessions of group counseling. Our data gathering tools included family cohesion questionnaire and family flexibility questionnaire. Data were analyzed by multi-variable covariance. Results: Case study students were in range of 13 year old and the mean age of mothers of the students in the experimental group was 38.5±4.54 and 39.16±3.88 in the control group. The results indicated the mean score of family cohesion in the experimental group in pretest was 85.33±15.46 and 77.83±11.97 in the control group. The mean score on family flexibility was 49±6.09 in the experimental group and 41±9.13 in the control group. In the post-test, the mean score of family cohesion was 99.83±10.36 and the control group 79.83±12.07. Moreover, in the post-test the mean of family flexibility of the experimental group and the control group were 55.50±5.99 and 42.66±9.23, respectively. Covariance analysis indicated that Satir family therapy significantly increased family cohesion (F=9.901, P≤0.05) and flexibility (F=13.47, P≤0.005). Conclusion: Satir family therapy is effective on family cohesion and flexibility.