Marital burnout

The purpose of this research is to study discordant females regarding the comparison of the effectiveness of Bowen systematic and solution-focused counseling on reducing the risk of divorce, burnout and marital discord. The reseach design is quasi-experimental employing multiple groups pretest-posttest. The participants consisted of all women attending in Justice Depertment of Ardabil for divorce in 2016. The participants included 45 discordant women (divorce applicants) who were selected through convenience sampling method and were assigned to three groups (two experimental groups and one control group). The marital burnout questionnaire, marital instability index (MII), and Beier-Sternberg discord questionnaire (DQ) were used for data collection. Bowen systematic counseling and solution-focused counselig were provided for experimental groups in 7 sessions of an hour and  a half each. Whereas, the control group did not receive any intervention. The results of the analysis of variance and Duncan's post hoc test showed that solution-focused counseling was more effective than Bowen systematic method in reducing divorce risk, burnout, and marital discord (p < 0.05). These results can be a strong for applying the priority of solution-focused counseling method to reduce the risk of divorce, burnout and marital discord among discordant women, thereby preventing family breakdown; this method can also be used to prevent marital conflicts. 

Objective: This paper expounds the role of family relationships and conflict resolution styles in marital burnout of couples seeking a divorce in Minab city. Methods: This is descriptive and correlational research. The study’s statistical population consists of the total number of married couples in Minab city in 2022 who were applieded for divorce. Using random sampling, 162 people were selected. The participants were asked to fill out the following questionnaires: the Couple Burnout Measure (CBM); The Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II (ROCI II), and The Brief Family Relationship Scale (BFRS. Results: Pearson's correlation coefficient and simultaneous multiple regression were used to analyze the study findings and examine the relationships between research variables. The study results indicated that family relationships and conflict resolution styles are significantly correlated with marital burnout (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Results analysis indicated that there was a significant relationship between family relationships, conflict resolution styles, and marital burnout highlighting divorce as one of the primary family trauma which brings about disintegration on a personal, familial, and social level. Therefore, the identification of the factors contributing to couples’ dissatisfaction and burnout have high significance since it affords us to take effective measures to prevent divorce and improve couples’ marital life.

In the field of counseling and family psychology, various approaches have been created with the aim of reducing conflicts and communication disturbances between couples. The purpose of the present study was the effectiveness of McMaster's systemic couple therapy on self-differentiation and marital boredom and intimacy of couples with emotional divorce. In terms of the purpose, the present research is part of applied research, and in terms of method, it is a semi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The research population consisted of all the couples who referred to counseling centers in Shiraz in 2021-22, from which 24 couples with emotional divorce were selected as a sample. The tools of the current research included self-differentiation questionnaire, marital boredom, and couples' intimacy. McMaster's systemic couple therapy intervention was performed during 10 sessions of 1.5 hours; But the control group did not receive any intervention. The research data was analyzed by multi-way covariance analysis. The findings showed that McMaster's family therapy is effective on self-differentiation, marital boredom and intimacy of couples with emotional divorce (P<0.05). It can be concluded that McMaster's couple therapy is effective on self-differentiation and marital boredom and intimacy of couples with emotional divorce.

The aim of the current research is to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness group training on psychological well-being, alexithymia and marital burnout. The current research is a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test type with a control group. The population of the present study includes married women of Rodsar city in 2022. From this population, 30 persons were selected by purposive sampling and were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 8 sessions of two-hour mindfulness group training and the control group did not receive any training. Psychological well-being scale (PWB), couple burnout measure (CBM) and Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS) were used to collect research data. To analyze the data, covariance analysis test were used. The results of the research showed that mindfulness group training is effective in increasing the psychological well-being and reducing marital burnout and alexithymia of married women (p<0.01). Therefore, the results of the present study are useful for families to use this intervention to improve psychological well-being, alexithymia and marital burnout

 Objective: This study aimed to predict emotional divorce among married female teachers in Darab City by analyzing family communication patterns and examining the mediation effect of marital burnout.Methods: Descriptive and correlational analyses were used. All married female instructors employed at the Darab primary schools during the academic year 2023-2024 were the study's population. The census technique was employed to estimate the sample, estimating the population of 176 individuals. The Revised Family Communication Patterns Scale (RFCP),  Couple Burnout Measure (CBM), and Gottmanns Emotional Divorce Scale (GEDS) were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using structural equations (SEM) and Pearson's correlation test, and the findings were examined using Lisrel 9 and SPSS25 statistical software.Results: Marital boredom had a direct and significant association with emotional divorce, and it had an inverse and significant relationship with communication orientation and compliance orientation. There was a direct and significant correlation between emotional divorce and conformity orientation, and an inverse and significant correlation between emotional divorce and communication orientation. Marital boredom also acted as a mediator in the interaction between emotional divorce and family communication styles (p<0.05).Conclusion: Thus, it can be anticipated that as the family's conformance orientation increases, the rate of marital discontent will rise as well, and that as this variable rises, so too will the emotional divorce rate.

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the efficacy of acceptance-based therapy in enhancing intimacy and marital forgiveness and reducing marital burnout in women affected by extramarital relationships. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest and follow-up design, including a control group. The population consisted of all women affected by their husband's extramarital relationships who attended specialized family counseling centers in District 6 of Mashhad. From this group, 30 participants were selected through purposive sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected using the Rey et al. (2001) Marital Forgiveness Scale, the Pines (1996) Marital Burnout Scale, and the Thompson and Walker (1983) Marital Intimacy Scale. Participants were then randomly assigned into three experimental groups and one control group, each consisting of 15 individuals. Data analysis was conducted using repeated measures analysis of variance with the Statistical Software Package SPSS-20. Findings: The findings indicated that acceptance and commitment therapy was effective in improving intimacy, marital forgiveness, and reducing marital burnout in women affected by extramarital relationships (P < 0.01). The results were also sustained at the follow-up stage. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that acceptance and commitment therapy was effective in enhancing intimacy, forgiveness, and reducing marital burnout among women impacted by extramarital relationships, and this therapeutic approach can be utilized to address psychological issues in couples affected by extramarital relationships.

Objective: The aim of this research was to investigate marital burnout and to determine the effectiveness of a communication skills training protocol. Methods: The experimental method employed was a single-subject design with multiple baselines, involving couples seeking counseling at the Raz City Clinic in Shiraz and the Clinic of the General Directorate of Exceptional Education in Fars Province, during the autumn of 2021. Among these couples, three pairs exhibiting the highest levels of marital burnout were selected using a purposive sampling method. The therapeutic program of the communication skills training protocol was conducted by the researcher over 10 sessions, followed by a follow-up in two stages, one month apart. The participants responded to the Marital Burnout Scale at the baseline, post-treatment, and follow-up stages. Data were analyzed using visual analysis methods, the recovery percentage formula, and the reliable change index. Findings: Findings indicated that the communication skills training protocol enhanced marital quality and reduced marital burnout, with these effects being maintained during the follow-up phase. Conclusion: The treatment protocol proved to be effective, and couple therapists can utilize these communication skills in their work with couples to reduce marital burnout and enhance marital quality, particularly during the early years of marriage, where it can have a significant impact.

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of a combined package of Resilient Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy on the sense of coherence and marital interactions in women with marital burnout. Methods: The present study was a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with a control group. The statistical population included all women aged 25 to 50 years with marital burnout who responded to the call posted in cultural centers in the city of Isfahan in the spring of 2022 and were contacted and received a moderate score based on the marital burnout questionnaire. A total of 45 individuals from the mentioned population were selected purposefully and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (15 individuals each). The experimental groups underwent nine 60-minute sessions of the combined package of Resilient Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, while the control group received no treatment during this period. Data were collected using Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (1993) and Gottman's Marital Interactions Questionnaire (1999) and analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test, with SPSS version 23. Findings: The results showed that both interventions significantly affected the sense of coherence and marital interactions in women with marital burnout (p < 0.05). However, in terms of the effectiveness of the two therapeutic methods, the combined package of Resilient Dialectical Behavior Therapy was more effective (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results indicated that the combined package of Resilient Dialectical Behavior Therapy could be utilized to enhance the sense of coherence and marital interactions.

Objective: The present study aimed to predict marital burnout in individuals married for 5 to 10 years based on attachment styles, with the mediating roles of marital self-regulation and marital intimacy. Methods and Materials: This study was analytical-correlational in nature, employing path analysis. The sample consisted of 384 married individuals (164 men and 220 women) who were selected through convenience sampling. The participants were aged between 25 and 45, with a marriage duration of 5 to 10 years. Data were collected using validated questionnaires, including the Marital Burnout Scale (Kayser, 1996), the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (Collins & Read, 1990), the Behavioral Self-Regulation for Effective Relationships Scale (Wilson et al., 2005), and the Intimacy Scale (Walker & Thompson, 1983). SPSS and Amos software were used for data analysis, applying structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine direct and indirect effects. Findings: The results indicated that marital self-regulation and intimacy mediated the relationship between attachment styles and marital burnout. Avoidant and anxious attachment styles positively predicted marital burnout, while secure attachment negatively predicted it. Additionally, self-regulation and intimacy were significant mediators, with higher levels of self-regulation and intimacy associated with lower marital burnout. Avoidant and anxious attachment styles negatively influenced self-regulation and intimacy, which in turn increased marital burnout. Conclusion: The study concluded that attachment styles significantly impact marital burnout, with self-regulation and intimacy playing crucial mediating roles. Individuals with insecure attachment styles (avoidant and anxious) are more prone to marital burnout, whereas secure attachment leads to lower burnout. Interventions aimed at improving self-regulation and intimacy in couples may help mitigate the effects of insecure attachment styles on marital burnout.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and metaphor therapy on marital burnout in women with marital conflicts. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design, a control group, and a three-month follow-up period. The statistical population included women with marital conflicts who visited counseling centers in Shiraz in 2023. A total of 60 participants were selected voluntarily and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. The research instrument was the Marital Burnout Questionnaire (Pines, 1996, CBM). The educational interventions, based on the cognitive-behavioral approach (Gehart, 2012) and the metaphor-based approach (Coup, 2013), were conducted in eight 60-minute sessions for the two experimental groups. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Findings: The results indicated a significant difference in the posttest and follow-up stages between the control group and the CBT group (p < .001) and the metaphor therapy group (p < .001). The effectiveness of CBT and metaphor therapy in improving marital burnout was 59.6% and 29.7% in the posttest, and 69.2% and 34.8% in the follow-up stage, respectively. Additionally, the findings showed a significant difference between the two experimental groups in both the posttest and follow-up stages, with differences of 26.3% and 37.1%, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that both CBT and metaphor therapy lead to improvements in marital burnout among women. Family therapists can utilize these educational approaches to enhance marital relationships in couples experiencing conflicts.