درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Objective: Proper sexual functioning is among the factors affecting marital satisfaction. A satisfactory sexual relationship plays a crucial role in individuals' sexual satisfaction, increased life satisfaction, and, consequently, family stability. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of women dealing with sexual separation. Methods: To this end, a qualitative research approach was employed using a descriptive phenomenological method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with thirteen married women who reported having experienced sexual separation for more than a year and were living with their husbands at the time of the interview. Data analysis was conducted using Colaizzi's method. Findings: Ultimately, two main themes emerged: the nature of sexual separation and the reasons for sexual separation. The nature of sexual separation was divided into two sub-themes: lackluster relationship and wrong path. The reasons for sexual separation were coded into six sub-themes: personal injuries, emotional divorce, emotional wounds, beyond tolerance, unilateral pleasures, and backgrounds. Conclusion: According to the research findings, it can be inferred that sexual separation has different culturally dependent meanings. However, what stands out more prominently in the categories derived from this study is the reduction in frequency and duration of sexual relations and the lack of sexual desire and enthusiasm towards the spouse. Additionally, the factors causing sexual separation are an intertwined set of various reasons, with the most influential being emotional wounds and emotional divorce. The findings of this study indicate that some cases of sexual separation lead to sexual divorce.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of narcissistic tendencies on marital relationship stability and examine the mediating role of emotional maturity in couples. Methods and Materials: This study employed a descriptive-correlational design and was conducted among married couples residing in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran. A total of 384 couples were selected using multistage cluster sampling. Inclusion criteria included at least two years of marital experience and no history of severe psychological disorders. Data were collected using three standardized instruments: the Marital Instability Index (MII), the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), and the Emotional Maturity Scale (EMS). The psychometric properties of these tools were confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha and split-half reliability. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and structural equation modeling (SEM) via SPSS and AMOS software. Bootstrapping was also employed to test the mediating effect. Findings: The results revealed that narcissistic tendencies were significantly and negatively associated with marital relationship stability (β = -0.32, p < .001). Emotional maturity was found to have a significant positive effect on marital stability (β = 0.43, p < .001) and a significant negative relationship with narcissistic tendencies (β = -0.38, p < .001). Importantly, emotional maturity partially mediated the relationship between narcissistic tendencies and marital stability (indirect effect β = -0.16, p < .01), and the total effect of narcissism on marital instability was substantial (β = -0.48, p < .001). The proposed model demonstrated a good fit to the data with acceptable fit indices. Conclusion: The findings suggest that narcissistic traits undermine marital stability directly and indirectly by reducing emotional maturity. Emotional maturity serves as a protective factor that enhances relational resilience. These results highlight the importance of addressing emotional development and personality traits in marital counseling and relationship education.

Objective: Somatic symptoms consist of a wide range of symptoms and until yet clustering them has been very challenging for researchers and therapists. The present study aims to explore underlying psychological factors of various functional somatic symptoms and determine if there are any similarities or differences in these factors that could help classify these symptoms as one syndrome or discrete ones. Method: This study adopted an association rule mining method based on data mining. 643 participants were recruited using a convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using the checklist of somatic symptoms (Lacourt et al., 2013), Attachment Questionnaire (Hazan & Shaver, 2017), Defense Style Questionnaire (Andrews et al., 1993), and Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (Lane, 2006). Results: Cognitive, gastrointestinal, and fatigue symptoms are related more to immature defense mechanisms. Musculoskeletal, respiratory, and cardiac symptoms are associated with neurotic defenses. Fatigue symptoms are associated with ambivalent attachment and musculoskeletal symptoms are related more to avoidant attachment. Indeed, it could be said that there are two clusters of somatic symptoms, one of which is attachment and the other is defense mechanisms. This supports the splitters’ view about somatic syndromes. Conclusions: These findings show various types of somatic symptoms have qualitatively different risk factors. Our findings imply that psychotherapists should consider the kind of syndromes a patient has and their underlying psychological predispositions to manage the problem better.