The Effect of Group Training Based on Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills Program on Marital Relationships Quality

Practical Application of Intimate Relationship Skills program is a marriage enrichment program which notifies couples to realize the importance of intimate relationships through putting emphasis on the need for intimacy. The present study was conducted by the aim of investigating the effect of group training based on practical application of intimate relationship skills program on marital relationship quality.
The current study used a quasi-experimental method with pretest-posttest with control group design. The population of the study consisted of all the couples visiting Golha health house in the 6th district of Tehran in 2013. The sample included 20 couples who were selected by available sampling method¡ and were randomly assigned to experiment and control groups (10 pairs each). The research tool was The Golombok-Rust Inventory of Marital Status (GRIMS¡ 1998) which was completed by the participants in the pre-test and post-test phases. Practical application of intimate relationship skills program was performed in thirteen 1.5 hour sessions for couple of the experiment group¡ but the control group received no intervention.
Findings: The results of univariable covariance analysis indicated that practical application of intimate relationship skills program promoted the quality of marital relationship in the couples of the experiment group¡ compared to the control group at posttest (F=46.43¡ P=0/000).
Discussion & The practical application of intimate relationship skills is effective in improving the quality of marital relationships. This program can be used as a marriage enrichment program for the purpose of preventing problems and improving couples’ relationships.