Abstract

Background and Aim: Intimacy is a key characteristic of marital relationships and is one of the most prominent characteristics of a successful marriage. Communication patterns can also determine marital satisfaction. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of coupled collaborative therapy on communication patterns and intimacy of couples referring to Behbahan counseling centers.

Methods: In this research, a single-trial experimental design, which was also called a single-trial trial, was used as a clinical trial. This design has different types. In the present study, several asynchronous base lines were used. Contrary to large-scale group comparison schemes, this design focuses on individual levels, not on average differences in pre-test and post-test. Another point of this plan is that fewer subjects are needed and couples completed the intimate questionnaire and communication patterns on the baseline, treatment and follow-up. Purposeful sampling was voluntary. The population of the study consisted of all disturbed couples referring to Behbahan psychological clinics. From these couples, 3 couples were selected based on entry and exit criteria. For analyzing the data, visual analysis (chart drawing), clinical significance (the changeover index and normative comparison), as well as the percentage of recovery, have been used.

Results: The results indicated that couples experience improvement in intimacy (30.95%) and interactive constructive communication model (47.05%), and in the communication model, the expected return (29.55%) and communication pattern Interactive avoidance (33.64%) showed a decrease. Likewise, data analysis using normative comparison showed that the couples after the treatment did not differ from the couples to the norm.

Conclusion: Participatory couples’s therapy may increase the intimacy and constructive communication patterns and decrease the communication patterns of waiting and withdrawal expectations and thus reduce disturbance between couples.