Comparison of Couples Therapy with Schema Therapy Approach and Gottman Method in Improving Marital Conflicts in Women on the Verge of Divorce

Objective: The present study aimed to compare couples therapy with a schema therapy approach and the Gottman method in improving marital conflicts in women on the verge of divorce. Methodology: This research was a quasi-experimental study. The statistical population consisted of all women on the verge of divorce in the city of Hamadan. From this population, based on the research method, a sample of 60 women with marital conflicts was selected and divided into four groups (one experimental and one control group for schema therapy, and one experimental and one control group for couples therapy using the Gottman method) through random assignment. The intervention program was then implemented, followed by a post-test. The research instruments included the schema therapy training program by Young, Glosko, and Wishar (1990), the Gottman couples therapy program based on the sound relationship house theory by Gottman and Gottman (2017), and the Marital Conflicts Questionnaire by Sanaei Zakir and Barati (2008). Data were analyzed using multivariate and univariate covariance analysis with SPSS software version 26. Findings: The findings indicated no significant difference between the two groups of couples therapy with the schema therapy approach and the Gottman method in improving marital conflicts. Couples therapy with the schema therapy approach had a significant effect on improving marital conflicts. Couples therapy using the Gottman method also had a significant effect on improving marital conflicts in women on the verge of divorce. Conclusion: The findings suggest that both couples therapy with the schema therapy approach and the Gottman method are effective in improving marital conflicts in women on the verge of divorce, with no significant difference between them.