The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Oriented Training on Differentiation and Marital Conflict among Women Referred to Health Centers in Tehran

Abstract

Background and Objective: Due to the nature of couples' interactions, sometimes there is a difference of opinion, which in turn results in feeling of anger, disappointment, and dissatisfaction among couples. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based education on the differentiation and marital conflicts among women referred to Health Centers in Tehran. Materials and Methods: This research method of this study was experimental with pretest-posttest design with control group. Participants included women who went to Health Centers in Tehran. Participants were selected by simple random sampling and assigned to experimental and control groups. To obtain data, the Marital Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ-R), and DSI (Differentiation Questionnaire) were used. Data analysis was performed by multivariate analysis of covariance using SPSS-21 software. Results: The mean (SD) age of participants in the experimental group and the control group was 34.4 (6.1) and 32.8 (5.6) respectively. Mindfulness-oriented education increased marital conflict scores (in terms of conflict reduction) in the experimental group from 26 (4.3) to 35.7 (4.4) (P<0.01) and differentiation from 42.5 (5.3) to 50.4 (8.5) (P<0.01). However, changes in marital conflict in the control group do not show a significant difference. Conclusion: Mindfulness-oriented education was effective in improving marital conflict and differentiation among women who were referred to Tehran's Health Centers.

Keywords

• Mindfulness, Differentiation, Family conflict