Effectiveness of Story Therapy Based on Reading Contemporary Persian Novels on Marital Relationship Satisfaction

Introduction: Healthy marital relationships are among the most important factors affecting individuals’ mental health and quality of life, and factors such as emotional maturity play a significant role in the stability and satisfaction of married life. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of story therapy based on reading contemporary Persian novels on emotional maturity and marital satisfaction of couples. Methods: This research was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design including a control group. The statistical population consisted of couples referring to counseling centers, from which ۳۰ individuals were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (۱۵ per group). The experimental group participated in eight sessions of story therapy based on reading contemporary Persian novels, while the control group received no intervention. Data collection instruments included the Singh & Bhargava Emotional Maturity Scale and the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA and ANCOVA). Results: The results of multivariate analysis of covariance showed that the story therapy intervention had a significant effect on the dependent variables of the study. Furthermore, univariate analysis of covariance indicated that this intervention significantly increased emotional maturity and marital satisfaction in the experimental group compared to the control group. The emotional, communication, and commitment dimensions of marital satisfaction also improved significantly. Conclusion: Story therapy based on reading contemporary Persian novels can be used as an effective approach to enhance emotional maturity and improve marital satisfaction among couples, and can be incorporated into couple counseling and training programs.

کلیدواژه ها:

Story therapy ، emotional maturity ، marital satisfaction ، contemporary Persian novels ، couple therapy