The Efficacy of the Narrative Therapy Approach in Reducing Couples’ Conflicts Through Couples Therapy

Abstract

Background: Conflict among couples is one of the most important issues in the family and often causes wives to refer for therapy. One of the most important therapeutic approaches is narrative therapy, the efficacy of which is investigated in this paper. Objectives: The aim of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of couples therapy with a narrative therapy approach for reducing couples’ conflicts. Methods: This semi-experimental study used pre-test and post-test assessments to examine the efficiency of the narrative therapy approach. The study population consisted of all couples who had been married for at least 5 years and were referred to a psychology clinic for marital conflicts. Thirty couples (60 participants) were selected randomly and then split into two groups of 15 couples each an experimental group and a control group. A pre-test inventory of marital conflict via a validated form was completed for both groups. Next, 8 sessions of group counseling (couples therapy with a narrative therapy approach) was performed for the experimental group while the control group remained untreated. Finally, a post-test inventory of marital conflict was completed for both groups. Results: The analysis of covariance of the couples’ marital conflicts between the experimental and control groups was significant (P ≤ 0.001, F value = 104.8, confidence level: 99%). The intervention of therapy reduced couples’ conflicts, increased the level of their cooperation, and improved their sexual relationship. Conclusions: The results of this study show that narrative therapy is a suitable approach for solving couples’ conflicts.