The Effectiveness of Marital Skills Training Based on the Gotman’s Model in Covert Relational Aggression of Women

Aggression is one of the factors influencing the relationship of couples, so the purpose of this paper was to investigate the effect of marriage training based on the Gotman’s Model on covert relational aggression in women.

Using a randomized controlled trial design, among mothers of Behesht primary school students in Shahriar town in Tehran during 2018 year a sample including 30 women were selected on a voluntary basis and randomly divided in two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received the intervention and control group subjects remained in the waiting list. All subjects were evaluated by Nelson and Carroll’s covert relational aggression scale at the pre - test and posttest stages. Data extracted from the scale and analyzed by a ANCOVA analysis.

Data analysis showed that significant difference between the women of the two groups in terms of the extent in their covert relational aggression and the trainings reduced covert relational aggression in women of the experimental group.

The training of marital skills based on the Gotman’s Model could reduce the covert aggression of women and is then recommended to therapists.