The Effectiveness of Marital Group Counseling on Happiness and Self-Compassion in Couples with Marital Conflict

Authors

    Farbod Amin Anaraki Department of Measurement and Evaluation (Psychometrics), CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    Fatemeh Biglari Department of General Psychology, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    Masoumeh Hasani * M.A. in Counseling, Department of Counseling, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran masoume.hasani1225@gmail.com
    Saeedeh Esmaeilzadeh Tarshayeh Department of General Psychology, To.C., Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran
    Saba Allah Gholipour Department of Clinical Psychology, To.C., Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran
    Soheil Jafari Department of Clinical Psychology, Dez.C., Islamic Azad University, Dezful, Iran

Keywords:

Systemic group counseling, marital conflict, self-compassion, happiness, couple therapy

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of systemic group marital counseling on enhancing self-compassion and happiness in couples experiencing marital conflict. The research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test–post-test and two-month follow-up, including a control group. Thirty couples with diagnosed marital conflict were selected using convenience sampling from counseling centers in Tehran in 2024 and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in eight 90-minute sessions of systemic group marital counseling based on family systems theory, while the control group received no intervention. Assessment tools included the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003) and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS-26, employing repeated measures ANOVA to examine intra-group and inter-group differences over time. The results indicated significant improvements in both self-compassion (p = .008) and happiness (p = .024) in the experimental group compared to the control group. Within-group analysis revealed that changes in self-compassion and happiness across the three phases (pre-test, post-test, follow-up) were statistically significant (p < .001), with large effect sizes for both variables. The interaction effect between time and group was also significant (p < .001), indicating that the intervention had a sustained impact over time. Systemic group marital counseling proved to be an effective intervention for improving self-compassion and happiness in couples facing marital conflict. The therapeutic emphasis on restructuring family dynamics, enhancing communication skills, and fostering emotional differentiation contributed to significant improvements in psychological and relational well-being. These results support the integration of structured group counseling approaches in clinical and community settings as a cost-effective and impactful modality for addressing marital distress.

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References

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Published

2025-06-01

Submitted

2025-02-27

Revised

2025-05-21

Accepted

2025-05-24

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2025): Serial Number 8

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Farbod Amin Anaraki, Fatemeh Biglari (Author); Masoumeh Hasani; Saeedeh Esmaeilzadeh Tarshayeh, Saba Allah Gholipour, Soheil Jafari (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Anaraki, F. A. ., Biglari, F. ., Hasani, M., Tarshayeh, S. E., Allah Gholipour, S., & Jafari, S. . (2025). The Effectiveness of Marital Group Counseling on Happiness and Self-Compassion in Couples with Marital Conflict. Mental Health and Lifestyle Journal, 3(2), 1-10. https://mhljournal.com/index.php/mhlj/article/view/57

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