Couple Therapy Assessment, Evaluation, and Intervention

This study aimed to explore women’s lived experiences of spousal emotional infidelity in digital interactions and its psychological consequences. An interpretive phenomenological approach was used. The participants included 15 married women living in Tehran who had experienced their spouse’s emotional infidelity in online environments and were selected through purposeful sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. The findings showed that digital emotional infidelity was associated with the collapse of emotional security, persistent preoccupation with virtual spaces, feelings of comparison and inadequacy, enduring distrust, and attempts to rebuild the relationship. The results indicated that hidden digital interactions, even without physical involvement, can cause profound emotional harm and weaken marital relationship quality. Therefore, couple therapists should pay special attention to digital relational boundaries and trust reconstruction in damaged relationships.

This study aimed to explore the process of emotional intimacy erosion among couples experiencing chronic marital conflict. A qualitative design based on thematic analysis was employed. The participants included 18 individuals from couples referred to family counseling centers in Tehran, selected through purposeful sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using NVivo software. The findings indicated that emotional intimacy erosion was experienced through themes such as communication exhaustion, gradual emotional shutdown, perceived emotional neglect, and the cycle of conflict and distancing. The results showed that persistent unresolved conflicts, poor empathic communication, and reduced emotional validation contributed to emotional distancing and loneliness within the marital relationship. Accordingly, reconstructing emotional interactions and strengthening communication skills appear essential in couple therapy.

The present study aimed to examine the role of social media addiction in marital burnout through the mediating roles of communication conflicts and emotional loneliness. The expansion of social media has created new opportunities for communication, entertainment, and information exchange; however, excessive and uncontrolled use may have harmful consequences for marital relationships. In many couples, spending excessive time online may reduce psychological presence in the relationship, increase social comparison, intensify sensitivity to a partner’s online interactions, and decrease face-to-face communication. Such patterns can contribute to repeated misunderstandings, emotional distance, and dissatisfaction. Social media addiction may also weaken intimacy by diverting attention from the partner, reducing responsiveness to emotional needs, and increasing secrecy or mistrust in the relationship. Marital burnout refers to a state of emotional exhaustion, relational disappointment, reduced affection, and negative attitudes toward the marital relationship. Communication conflicts and emotional loneliness may serve as important mediating mechanisms in the association between social media addiction and marital burnout. In other words, excessive social media use may first increase communication problems and emotional isolation within the relationship, and these factors may subsequently intensify marital burnout. This study used a descriptive-correlational design based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of married men and women, and participants were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using standardized measures of social media addiction, communication conflicts, emotional loneliness, and marital burnout. The findings showed that social media addiction had a significant direct effect on marital burnout. In addition, communication conflicts and emotional loneliness significantly mediated this relationship. The proposed model demonstrated acceptable fit indices. These results indicate that problematic social media use should be considered an important relational risk factor in contemporary marital life. Based on the findings, educational and counseling interventions focused on digital self-regulation, healthy boundaries for social media use, improvement of couple communication, and reduction of emotional loneliness may help prevent marital burnout and strengthen marital quality.

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a psychological capital training package for couples and examine its effectiveness on marital adjustment and relational resilience. Psychological capital consists of hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism, and it can play a significant role in how couples cope with marital stress, communication difficulties, and family crises. Couples with higher psychological capital are more likely to approach relational challenges with flexibility, problem-solving ability, positive expectations, and persistence. Instead of relying on blame, avoidance, or withdrawal, such couples may use constructive strategies to manage difficulties and maintain emotional connection. Although psychological capital has been widely examined in organizational and educational settings, its application in couple relationships has received less systematic attention. Therefore, developing a couple-oriented training package based on psychological capital may provide a preventive and empowering framework for improving marital functioning. This study employed a mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, the components of the training package were identified through a review of relevant literature and semi-structured interviews with experts in family counseling, positive psychology, and couple therapy. The session content, educational objectives, practical exercises, homework assignments, and implementation procedures were then developed and validated by specialists. In the quantitative phase, the effectiveness of the package was examined using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group. Participants were couples seeking to improve their relationship quality and were selected through purposive sampling. They were assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received the psychological capital training package in structured sessions, whereas the control group received no intervention during the study period. Data were collected using measures of marital adjustment and relational resilience. The findings indicated that the developed package had satisfactory content validity and significantly improved marital adjustment and relational resilience in the experimental group compared with the control group. These results suggest that psychological capital training can be used as a preventive, educational, and therapeutic approach in couple counseling centers to strengthen adaptive coping, hope, optimism, and resilience in marital relationships.

The present study aimed to develop a structural model of marital satisfaction based on mindfulness and self-compassion with the mediating role of emotional intimacy among married couples. Marital satisfaction is one of the most important indicators of family health and relational well-being, and it is influenced by a complex set of cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal factors. In recent years, mindfulness and self-compassion have received increasing attention as psychological capacities that can enhance mental health and improve interpersonal functioning. Mindfulness, defined as nonjudgmental awareness of present-moment experience, may help couples respond to relational stress with greater emotional awareness, less impulsivity, and more adaptive communication. Mindful individuals are more likely to recognize their emotional reactions without immediately acting on them, which can reduce escalation during marital conflicts. Self-compassion, which involves kindness toward oneself, recognition of common humanity, and balanced awareness of painful experiences, may also contribute to healthier marital functioning. Individuals with higher self-compassion may be less self-critical, more emotionally stable, and more capable of expressing empathy toward their partners. However, the effects of mindfulness and self-compassion on marital satisfaction may be strengthened through emotional intimacy. Emotional intimacy refers to feelings of closeness, trust, mutual understanding, and emotional sharing, and it is considered a central foundation of a satisfying marital relationship. This study used a descriptive-correlational design and structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of married couples, and participants were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires measuring mindfulness, self-compassion, emotional intimacy, and marital satisfaction. The findings indicated that mindfulness and self-compassion directly predicted marital satisfaction and also had significant indirect effects through emotional intimacy. The proposed model showed acceptable fit indices. These results suggest that enhancing mindfulness and self-compassion may improve marital satisfaction by increasing emotional intimacy and reducing maladaptive emotional reactions. Accordingly, couple-based educational and therapeutic programs can benefit from incorporating mindfulness practices, self-compassion training, and exercises designed to strengthen emotional closeness between partners.

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy and Gottman Couple Therapy on interpersonal forgiveness, relationship quality, and communication patterns among couples. Over time, marital relationships may be affected by unresolved conflicts, emotional injuries, repeated misunderstandings, and dysfunctional communication cycles. In such conditions, reduced forgiveness and poor relationship quality may lead to emotional distance, criticism, defensiveness, withdrawal, and decreased relational security. Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy is an attachment-based approach that focuses on identifying negative interactional cycles, accessing primary emotions, and restructuring emotional bonds between partners. This approach helps couples move from defensive and reactive communication toward emotional responsiveness, accessibility, and engagement. In contrast, Gottman Couple Therapy emphasizes communication skills, conflict management, friendship enhancement, reduction of destructive interaction patterns, and strengthening positive relational exchanges. The study used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with two experimental groups and one control group. Participants were couples experiencing marital conflict who were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to Emotionally Focused Therapy, Gottman Therapy, or control groups. Each intervention group received structured couple therapy sessions, while the control group did not receive any intervention during the study period. Data were collected using standardized scales measuring interpersonal forgiveness, relationship quality, and communication patterns. Multivariate analysis of covariance and post-hoc comparisons were used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that both therapeutic approaches significantly improved forgiveness, relationship quality, and communication patterns compared with the control group. However, Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy showed stronger effects on emotional forgiveness and the reconstruction of attachment bonds, whereas Gottman Couple Therapy demonstrated greater effects on communication skills and conflict management. These findings suggest that both approaches are effective, but their mechanisms of change may differ. Therefore, therapists may select either approach according to the dominant clinical needs of couples, such as unresolved emotional injuries, attachment insecurity, communication breakdown, or persistent conflict.

The purpose of this study was to explain the role of insecure attachment and early maladaptive schemas in predicting marital infidelity tendency through the mediating role of emotion regulation difficulties. Marital infidelity is one of the most serious relational injuries, as it can severely undermine trust, emotional security, commitment, and family stability. From a psychological perspective, the tendency toward extramarital involvement is not merely a result of current marital dissatisfaction; rather, it may be rooted in deeper personality, attachment, and cognitive-emotional patterns. Individuals with anxious or avoidant attachment styles may experience intimacy, conflict, and relational frustration in maladaptive ways. Anxiously attached individuals may seek external validation and emotional reassurance, whereas avoidantly attached individuals may distance themselves from intimacy and commitment. In addition, early maladaptive schemas such as emotional deprivation, abandonment, mistrust, defectiveness, and entitlement may distort individuals’ perceptions of themselves, their partners, and the marital relationship. These schemas may increase vulnerability to destructive relational behaviors when emotional needs are not adequately regulated. Emotion regulation difficulties may serve as a key mechanism through which insecure attachment and maladaptive schemas contribute to infidelity tendencies. The study used a descriptive-correlational design based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of married individuals, and the sample was selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using measures of adult attachment, early maladaptive schemas, emotion regulation difficulties, and marital infidelity tendency. The findings showed that insecure attachment and early maladaptive schemas had both direct and indirect effects on marital infidelity tendency through emotion regulation difficulties. The proposed model demonstrated acceptable fit indices. These results indicate that interventions aimed at improving marital fidelity should not focus solely on behavioral control or moral commitment, but should also address attachment insecurity, maladaptive cognitive schemas, and emotional dysregulation. Schema-based couple therapy, attachment-focused interventions, and emotion regulation training may therefore be effective in preventing marital infidelity and strengthening relational stability.

The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Couple Therapy on emotional intimacy, psychological flexibility, and marital satisfaction among couples experiencing chronic marital conflicts. Chronic marital conflict is commonly associated with repeated patterns of emotional avoidance, mutual blaming, ineffective communication, and reduced relationship quality. If such patterns continue over time, they may lead to marital burnout, emotional distance, and decreased intimacy between partners. Acceptance and Commitment Couple Therapy provides a process-based therapeutic framework that focuses on acceptance of internal experiences, cognitive defusion, reduction of experiential avoidance, clarification of relational values, and commitment to constructive interpersonal behaviors. The study employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of couples referring to family counseling centers. Eligible couples were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received eight sessions of Acceptance and Commitment Couple Therapy, whereas the control group received no psychological intervention during the same period. Data were collected using standardized measures of emotional intimacy, psychological flexibility, and marital satisfaction. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that Acceptance and Commitment Couple Therapy significantly increased emotional intimacy, psychological flexibility, and marital satisfaction in the experimental group compared with the control group. These results suggest that helping couples accept difficult emotional experiences, reduce defensive reactions, and act in accordance with shared relational values can facilitate the reconstruction of emotional bonds and improve marital functioning. The findings also highlight the importance of psychological flexibility as a central mechanism in reducing rigid interactional cycles and enhancing adaptive responses to conflict. Therefore, Acceptance and Commitment Couple Therapy can be considered a useful intervention for couples experiencing persistent conflicts and emotional disconnection.
Keywords: Acceptance and Commitment Couple Therapy, Marital Satisfaction, Emotional Intimacy, Psychological Flexibility, Marital Conflict