The effect of couple training based on personality-systemic couple ‎therapy ‎model on marital adjustment

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of training based on personality–systemic couple therapy model on marital adjustment of referred couples to counseling centers in Shahreza. This study consisted of two parts, part one was qualitative and the second was quantitative. In the first part texts and refrenses related to systemic material and Cattel`s personality approches in order to get an integrated personality-systemic couple therapy model. And on second part the research method was quasi-experiment with pretest-posttest design with control group. Statistical population were the young couples who referred to counseling centers by themselves.Therefore 40 persons (20 couples) (20 persons in training group and 20 persons in control group), were selected using accessible sampling and were randomly assigned to the training and control groups. The members of control and experiment group were matched according to the marital adjustment test score, level of education, number of children, duration of marriage and male income. The assessment instrument was Marital Adjustment Questionnaire (Spinner, 1976) that was performed as pre-test. Then the experimental group received 18 sessions of training that consisted of 9 sessions of systemic couple therapy and 9 sessions of personality couple therapy. At the end of training subjects in both groups were tested with Spinner`s scale again.The results of multivariate analysis of variance showed the difference between marital adjustment score and its components (reciprocal satisfaction, reciprocal agreement, reciprocal correlation and affective expression) in pre-test and post-test in experimental group and marital adjustment score in post-test between experimental and contorol group. The results showed that personality–systemic couple therapy model training was effective in the amount of marital adjustment and its components. So the interventional model used in this study can be used in counseling centers to improve marital adjustment.