Determining the Effectiveness of Counseling Based on Reality Therapy on the Empathy and Marital Adjustment of Women Facing Divorce

Abstract</span></span></span></span></span></span>
Background &

</span> All social problems directly or indirectly relate to the family. Today, the rate of family divorces has been steadily increasing yearly. Statistics reveal that out of every three marriages in Iran, one ultimately ends in divorce. Furthermore, between 2011 and 2020, a significant surge (28%) has been observed in divorce rates. The level of empathy between couples is an essential factor that can significantly impact marital satisfaction and minimize the likelihood of divorce. Another crucial factor, the importance of which is particularly evident in the interactions of married life, is marital adjustment. A well–adjusted couple displays higher levels of empathy and is likelier to have long–lasting and stable marriages.</span></span>
On the other hand, couples with low levels of empathy and adjustment often experience communication problems and are at a higher risk of divorce. Due to its emphasis on communication, Glaser’s reality therapy is one of the best interventions whose effectiveness has been shown in studies related to couples. Therefore, the present research was conducted to determine the effectiveness of counseling based on reality therapy on the empathy and marital adjustment of women facing divorce.</span></span>

</span> The present quasi–experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population of the present study included all women facing divorce who were referred to the family court, dispute resolution council, or family counseling centers in Tabriz City, Iran, in 2021. Of them, 40 qualified volunteers were included in the study by the purposive sampling method. Then, they were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups (20 people in each group). The inclusion criteria were as follows: providing informed consent, being 20 to 50 years old, being literate, obtaining an empathy score of less than 50, and marital satisfaction score of less than 100. The exclusion criteria were more than two absent teaching sessions, uncooperating in doing the tasks, divorce during the therapy period, taking part in marital counseling or other therapeutic or preventive program simultaneous with this program, drug abuse, and contracting chronic disease or acute physical or mental disease that refrain the individual from taking part in this program. The study tools were the Jolliffe & Farrington Basic Empathy Scale</span> (</span>2006) and </sup>the </sup>Spanier Dyadic Adjustment Scale (1976). The results of the construct validity of the basic empathy scale showed that its two subscales account for 37.7% variances. The</span> Cronbach alpha reliability for the whole scale was 0.87. Also, the concurrent validity of the Dyadic adjustment scale was obtained at 0.86 based on its correlation with Locke & Wallace’s marital adjustment questionnaire. Also, the Cronbach alpha reliability for the whole scale was 0.96. To perform therapeutic intervention, Glasser’s Reality Therapy (2000) was implemented for the experimental group in 8 sessions, and at the same time, the control group did not undergo any psychotherapy intervention. The research data before and after the intervention were analyzed using an analysis of covariance run in the SPSS26 software. The Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. </span></span>

</span> The result of the present study showed that after removing the effect of the pretest, there was a significant difference between the average posttest scores of the experimental group and the control group in the empathy variable (p</span><0.001). Also, based on the effect size, 53% of the changes</span></span> in empathy scores were due to reality therapy intervention. Another study result showed that after removing the effect of the pretest, there was a significant difference between the average posttest scores of the experimental group and the control group in the variable of </span></span>marital adjustment (p</span><0.001). Also, based on the effect size, 39.5% of the </span></span>marital adjustment score changes were due to reality therapy intervention.</span></span></span></span>

</span> This study showed that reality therapy has been effective in increasing empathy and marital adjustment for women facing divorce. Therefore, counselors and therapists may use this treatment to improve the variables mentioned above in women facing divorce.</span></span></span></span>