Comparison of the Effectiveness of Teaching Emotion Management Strategies Based on Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy Approach and Couple Therapy Based on Schema Therapy on Sexual Satisfaction and Family Functioning

The family is the place to satisfy various physical, intellectual, and emotional needs, and having awareness of biological and psychological needs, knowing how to satisfy them, being equipped with techniques, and recognizing biological and psychological tendencies is an undeniable necessity. The present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of teaching emotion management strategies based on emotionally focused therapy (EFT) and schema-based couple therapy on sexual satisfaction and family functioning of couples.

The present study was a semi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design and follow-up with a control group. The study population included all couples with marital dissatisfaction who referred to the psychological clinic of Isfahan City, Iran, to solve their problems. The research sample included 45 couples who were selected by purposeful sampling and were randomly divided into three experimental groups: 1 (15 couples), 2 (15 couples), and control (15 couples). For the statistical analysis of the data, mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) between and within subjects was used with the help of SPSS software.

Training emotion management strategies based on EFT and schema-based couple therapy increased sexual satisfaction and family functioning compared to the control group (P < 0.050). There was a statistically significant difference between the effectiveness of teaching emotion management strategies based on EFT and schema-based couple therapy on sexual satisfaction and family performance of couples in the post-test and follow-up stages (P < 0.050), and teaching emotion management strategies based on EFT approach was more effective than schema-based couple therapy in sexual satisfaction and family functioning of couples.

Emotion and self-awareness training is an effective method in increasing sexual satisfaction and family functioning of couples.