Comparison of the effectiveness of emotion-focused couple therapy and Gottman couple therapy on sexual function, marital sexual satisfaction and depression in infertile couples

Infertility as a crisis in marital relationships not only causes psychological problems, but can also act as a powerful blow against the relationship between the couple. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of emotion-oriented couple therapy and Gottman couple therapy on sexual function, marital sexual satisfaction and depression in infertile couples. In this quasi-experimental study, 54 infertile couples from Omid Royan Infertility Center in Arak were selected and divided into two intervention groups (36 couples) and a control group (18 couples). In the intervention group, the training content was performed by emotion-focused couple therapy and Gottman couple therapy in ten 60-minute sessions for infertile couples, and two months later, the test was followed up. Data were collected using demographic information form, sexual function questionnaire, marital sexual satisfaction and depression and was analyzed using SPSS software version 23. The results showed that there is a difference between the effectiveness of emotion-oriented couple therapy and Gottman couple therapy on the sexual performance of men in infertile couples (P<0.05). However, there is no difference between the effectiveness of emotion-oriented couple therapy and Gottman couple therapy on women's sexual performance, marital sexual satisfaction of women and men, and depression of infertile couples. (P<0.05). Also, the results showed that both emotion-oriented couple therapy and Gottman methods were effective on sexual performance, marital sexual satisfaction and depression of infertile couples, and the scores of the post-test group and the follow-up period were better than the control group (P<0.05). The implementation of both methods of couple therapy has been effective on sexual function, marital sexual satisfaction and depression of infertile couples. Therefore, it is recommended that these two treatments including emotion-focused couple therapy and Gottman be used to improve sexual functioning, sexual satisfaction and marital depression of infertile couples.