Towards improving communication skills and attachment styles in Iranian couples: the attachment-differentiation premarital model

This study examined the effectiveness of premarital education based on the Attachment-Differentiation Premarital Model (ADPM) on communication skills and attachment styles among Iranian engaged couples. In collectivist societies like Iran, couples often lack structured training to balance emotional intimacy and personal autonomy. A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) with a pretest-posttest control group design was used. Forty individuals (20 couples) from a Tehran university counseling center were randomly assigned to an ADPM group (10 sessions) or a control group. Data were collected using the Couple’s Communication Skills Questionnaire and the Revised Adult Attachment Scale. MANCOVA revealed significant post-intervention improvements in the experimental group: increased verbal skills and empathy (F = 8.99, p < .01), sexual communication (F = 13.56, p ≥ .001), and secure attachment (F = 32.05, p < .001); and reduced communication barriers (F = 40.53, p < .001), avoidant attachment (F = 35.18, p < .001), and anxious attachment (F = 27.11, p < .001). The total effect size (ηp2 = 0.843) indicates ADPM explained 84% of the variance in outcomes. The findings suggest ADPM-based education enhances interpersonal skills and emotional security, offering a culturally grounded, theoretically robust approach for premarital counseling in Iranian couples.