The Effectiveness of Lazarus’s Multimodal Therapy and Islamic-Oriented Marital Skills Training on Marital Satisfaction and Marital Conflicts
Keywords:
Marital satisfaction, marital conflict, multimodal therapy, Islamic marital skills, couple therapy, cultural adaptationAbstract
Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Lazarus’s multimodal therapy and Islamic approach-based marital skills training in enhancing marital satisfaction and reducing marital conflicts among couples in Isfahan.
Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a control group. Sixty married couples experiencing marital dissatisfaction were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned into three groups: Lazarus’s multimodal therapy, Islamic approach-based marital skills training, and control (20 couples in each). The intervention groups received eight 90-minute sessions of their respective training programs, while the control group received no intervention during the study period. The Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire and Marital Conflict Questionnaire were administered at pretest and posttest. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) after confirming normality, homogeneity of variances, and homogeneity of covariance matrices.
Findings: ANCOVA results indicated a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in marital satisfaction and marital conflict at posttest (p < 0.001). Both intervention groups showed significant increases in marital satisfaction and significant decreases in marital conflict compared to the control group. Pairwise comparisons revealed no significant difference between Lazarus’s multimodal therapy and the Islamic approach-based training in their impact on either marital satisfaction or conflict reduction (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Both Lazarus’s multimodal therapy and Islamic approach-based marital skills training are effective, culturally relevant interventions for improving marital satisfaction and reducing marital conflicts. Their comparable effectiveness suggests that practitioners can select either approach based on couples’ cultural context, personal values, and therapeutic preferences.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Zahra Lotfi (Author); Mohammad Reza Salarifar; Kamran Shivandi Cheliche (Author)
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