Effectiveness of Gottman couple therapy on communication skills and family function in couples with disabled children

Background & Purpose: Having a disabled child in a family has many negative consequences for parents. Therefore, the use of effective psychological interventions to reduce these effects is very important; therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Gottman couple therapy on communication skills and family function in couples with disabled children. Method: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all parents with children with physically disabled and mental disabilities in 2021 who referred to rehabilitation clinics in Yazd. 30 people were selected through convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups; experimental group received Gottman couple therapy in 8 online sessions of 90 minutes; all subjects completed McMaster family assessment device (FAD) of Epstein et al. (1983) and the Jerabek communication skills inventory (2004); Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS-26. Results: The results of data analysis showed that Guttman's couple therapy intervention is effective on communication skills and family functioning in couples with disabled children (p <0.05). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, Guttman's couple therapy intervention can be used as a method of empowering couples with disabled children.