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Development of an Empathy-Based Couple Therapy Model and Its Effectiveness on Interaction Stability Among Couples on the Verge of Divorce

https://doi.org/10.61838/ijbmc.v13i4.1336
Empathy-Based Couple Therapy Marital Interaction Stability Divorce Mixed Methods Couples

Authors

  • Elmira Mohammadi Department of Psychology, Ct.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
  • Parvaneh Mohammadkhani
    p.mohammadkhani@uswr.ac.ir
    Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Social Welfare & Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
  • Anita Baghdasarians Department of Psychology, Ct.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
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Objective: This study aimed to develop an empathy-based couple therapy model and examine its effectiveness on marital interaction stability among couples on the verge of divorce.

Methods and Materials: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was used. In the qualitative phase, grounded theory was applied to explore the lived experiences of couples on the verge of divorce in District 1 of Tehran in 2025. Eight couples (16 individuals) were selected through purposive sampling and interviewed until theoretical saturation. Data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. In the quantitative phase, a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design with a three-month follow-up was conducted. Twenty participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 10) and a control group (n = 10). The experimental group received ten 90-minute sessions of the empathy-based couple therapy model. Marital interaction stability was measured using Gottman’s Marital Interaction Stability Questionnaire. Repeated-measures ANOVA was performed in SPSS version 26.

Findings:  The qualitative phase identified individual mindset toward empathy, emotional factors, financial conditions, empathy-building skills, social support, relational factors, couples’ beliefs and values, and empathy-related transformations as core components of the model. Marital interaction stability increased in the experimental group from 78.33 ± 16.90 at pretest to 110.00 ± 28.21 at posttest and 111.33 ± 25.80 at follow-up. Significant effects were found for time, F = 67.01, p = .001, group × time interaction, F = 50.46, p = .001, and group, F = 42.80, p = .001, η² = .60.

Conclusion: The empathy-based couple therapy model significantly improved marital interaction stability, and its effect was maintained at three-month follow-up.