Comparison of the Effectiveness of a Marital Quality of Life-Based Therapeutic Package and Mindfulness Therapy on Marital Adjustment in Married Women with Breast Cancer
Keywords:
Breast Cancer, Marital Adjustment, Mindfulness Therapy, Marital Quality of Life, Married WomenAbstract
This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of a marital quality of life-based therapeutic package and mindfulness therapy on marital adjustment in married women with breast cancer. This quantitative quasi-experimental study used a pretest, posttest, and follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of married women with breast cancer who referred to treatment centers in Babol and had been diagnosed at least one year before participation. Sixty eligible women were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three groups of 20 participants: the marital quality of life-based therapeutic package group, the mindfulness therapy group, and the control group. The first experimental group received an 11-session therapeutic package, the second experimental group received eight sessions of mindfulness therapy, and the control group received no intervention during the study period. Data were collected using Spanier’s Dyadic Adjustment Scale and analyzed using mixed repeated-measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc tests in SPSS version 22. The mixed repeated-measures analysis showed significant main effects of group and time and a significant group-by-time interaction for total marital adjustment (F=68.78, p<0.001, η²=0.71; F=142.15, p<0.001, η²=0.71; F=38.17, p<0.001, η²=0.57). The group-by-time interaction was also significant for the components of adjustment, cohesion, consensus, and affectional expression. Bonferroni results indicated significant differences between pretest and posttest and between pretest and follow-up in both experimental groups, whereas posttest-follow-up differences were not significant. The magnitude of improvement was greater in the therapeutic package group than in the mindfulness therapy group. Both interventions significantly and sustainably improved marital adjustment in married women with breast cancer; however, the marital quality of life-based therapeutic package was more effective than mindfulness therapy.
Downloads
References
Abedi, M., & Sadeghi, S. (2024). The relationship between emotion regulation and marital intimacy with quality of life in women with breast cancer. Journal of Health Psychology. https://apsy.sbu.ac.ir/article_104467.html
Ashouri, A., Rostami, K., Rahmani, S., Gholizadeh, S., & Hossein, M. (2023). Investigating the role of alexithymia and spiritual intelligence in predicting marital quality of life. Islamic Lifestyle Centered on Health, 7(1), 442-448. https://www.islamiilife.com/article_185466.html?lang=en
Bertoni, A., Iafrate, R., Donato, S., & Rapelli, G. (2024). Marital adjustment In Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10568-4_1140
Chen, X., Shen, C., Gu, Z., Chen, L., Zhuang, Y., Lu, L.-H., Lü, P., & Li, Y.-j. (2024). Latent Profile Analysis and Determinants of Marital Adjustment in Patients With Breast Cancer. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, Volume 17, 5799-5809. https://doi.org/10.2147/jmdh.s494987
Frye-Cox, N. E., & Hesse, C. R. (2013). Alexithymia and marital quality: The mediating roles of loneliness and intimate communication. Journal of Family Psychology, 27(2), 203-211. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031961
KavehFarsani, Z., & Worthington Jr, E. L. (2024). Direct effects of marital empathy, body image, and perceived social support on quality of life of married women with breast cancer and the mediating role of perceived marital quality. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, 19(1), 70. https://doi.org/10.18502/ijps.v19i1.14340
Kavitha, C., Rangan, U., & Kumar Nirmalan, P. (2024). Quality of Life and Marital Adjustment after Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Behavioural Marital Therapy in Couples with Anxiety Disorders. JOURNAL of CLINICAL and DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH, 8(8), WC01-WC04. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4190776/
Krok, D., Telka, E., & Moroń, M. (2023). Marital Satisfaction, Partner Communication, and Illness Acceptance Among Couples Coping With Breast Cancer: A Dyadic Approach. Psycho-Oncology, 32(8), 1240-1247. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.6174
Krok, D., Telka, E., & Moroń, M. (2025). Marital satisfaction, partner communication, and illness acceptance among couples coping with breast cancer: a dyadic approach. Psycho-Oncology, 32(8), 1240-1247.
Mobaraki, S., & Esmkhani Akbarinejad, H. (2024). A study on the effectiveness of emotion-focused couple therapy on marital commitment and interpersonal emotion regulation in couples with a spouse suffering from breast cancer. Iranian Journal of Breast Diseases, 17(2), 69-85. https://doi.org/10.61186/ijbd.17.2.69
Moghaddam, N. E., Shahbazi, M., & Moghaddam, K. K. (2024). Marital Commitment Mediates the Effects of Forgiveness and Alexithymia on Marriage Quality in Nursing Students. Journal of Client Centered Nursing Care, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.32598/JCCNC.10.4.658.1
Pereira, M. G., Bernardo, A. C., Silva, M., & Almeida, A. C. (2025). Marital Adjustment and Quality of Life in Fibromyalgia. Families Systems & Health, 43(2), 195-209. https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000962
Pour Meqdad, S., DokaneieFard, F., & Behboodi, M. (2024). Predicting Marital Relationship Quality and Marital Adjustment Based on Early Maladaptive Schemas and Resilience in Married Women. Rooyesh-e-Ravanshenasi Journal, 13(7), 81-90. https://frooyesh.ir/article-1-4835-en.html
Sadeghi, M., Naeimeh, M., & Alivandvafa, M. (2021). Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in Couple Burnout, Alexithymia, and Quality of Life of Women Affected by Marital Infidelity. Journal of Applied Family Therapy, 2(3), 73-91. https://doi.org/10.22034/AFTJ.2021.296762.1146
Sohrabi Azandaryani, S., & Mirshahi, F. (2024). The effectiveness of solution-focused group couple therapy on adjustment, intimacy, and marital quality of life among women with husbands undergoing addiction recovery. Rooyesh-e-Ravanshenasi, 13(9), 231-240.
TÖNbÜL, Ö., & Özdemir, A. (2023). The Relationship Between Differentiation of Self and Marital Quality in Turkish Married Women: The Mediating Role of Dyadic Adjustment. Türk Psikolojik Danışma Ve Rehberlik Dergisi, 13(71), 481-493. https://doi.org/10.17066/tpdrd.1274945_6
Whisman, M. A., & Collazos, T. (2023). A longitudinal investigation of marital dissolution, marital quality, and generalized anxiety disorder in a national probability sample. Journal of anxiety disorders, 96, 102713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102713
Zahedi, H., Alizadeh-Dibazari, Z., Mirghafourvand, M., Sahebihagh, M. H., & Hosseinzadeh, M. (2024). The Effectiveness of Couple-Based Interventions on the Marital Outcomes of Women With Genital and Breast Cancer and Their Partners: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. BMC Cancer, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-024-12088-x
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 1405 زهره زادحسن (نویسنده); مریم غلامزاده جفره (نویسنده مسئول); کبری کاظمیان (نویسنده)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
