The Effectiveness of Gottman Couple Therapy on Intimacy and Marital Adjustment of Couples with Marital Problems

Abstract

Background: It is necessary to help couples to solve problems related to marital life, identifying the factors affecting intimacy and marital adjustment of couples, which can be improved using different approaches. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate Gottman Couple Therapy's effectiveness on intimacy and marital adjustment of couples with marital problems. Methods: The present study was an applied and quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and follow-up with a control group. The statistical population of this study was all couples referred to counseling clinics in 2020. The sample consisted of 30 couples referred to counseling clinics in district 1 of Tehran, selected by convenience sampling method. The data were collected through the marital intimacy scale (Thompson and Walker, 1983) and marital adjustment questionnaire (Spanier, 1976). Data were analyzed by repeated measure analysis of variance and SPSS.22 software. Results: The results showed that Gottman couple therapy was effective in increasing intimacy (p <0.001) and marital adjustment (p <0.001) of couples with marital problems.Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it can be said that Gottman couple therapy is effective on intimacy and marital adjustment of couples with marital problems. Therefore, Gottman's couple therapy can improve couples' relationships and reduce their marital problems.