محمدمهدی جهانگیری

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the sources that shape mental constructs in the minds of the participants and their strategies for bringing their own lives closer to that of a successful marriage. Methods: This study employs a qualitative method. Research data were collected through 30 in-depth interviews with 15 Tehranian couples. The data were coded using MAXQDA software, version 2020. The number of participants was determined upon reaching saturation. In the first stage of coding, a total of 860 codes or initial concepts were extracted from the interview transcripts. Findings: The findings of the study indicate that mental constructs of marriage are acquired, modifiable, and constructed entities that are the result of family upbringing and parental relationships, the dominant society and culture, and personal experiences after marriage. The strategies provided by participants for maintaining or achieving a successful marriage amounted to 51 suggestions and strategies, with the highest levels of agreement and recurrence around concepts such as patience, mutual respect, learning problem-solving skills, self-restraint, and communication. Conclusion: This study highlights that mental constructs of successful marriage are shaped by family, lived experiences, and societal influences, emphasizing the importance of empathy, mutual respect, and communication for marital satisfaction and stability.

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of reality therapy and emotion-focused therapy (EFT) on love trauma syndrome, self-worth, and relationship beliefs in divorced women residing in Tehran. Methods and Materials: This research is applied in terms of purpose and quasi-experimental in terms of data collection, using a pretest-posttest-follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population included all divorced women residing in District 2 of Tehran in 2023, from whom 45 participants were selected through convenience sampling. The participants were randomly assigned, with age-matching, into two intervention groups and one control group. Participants completed the Relationship Beliefs Questionnaire, Ross's Love Trauma Syndrome Questionnaire, and the Self-Worth Questionnaire at pretest, posttest, and follow-up phases. The first intervention group received 8 sessions of reality therapy, while the second group received 10 sessions of emotion-focused therapy. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with SPSS version 22. Findings: Both reality therapy and emotion-focused therapy were effective in enhancing self-worth, improving relationship beliefs, and reducing love trauma syndrome symptoms among divorced women in Tehran. Moreover, the effectiveness of both treatments persisted over time. No significant difference was found between the effectiveness of reality therapy and emotion-focused therapy on the studied variables. Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be concluded that both reality therapy and emotion-focused therapy are effective interventions for improving love trauma syndrome symptoms, enhancing self-worth, and modifying relationship beliefs in divorced women in Tehran

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and existential therapy on symptoms of demoralization and life attitudes in women heads of households in welfare in the city of Rasht. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with two experimental groups and one control group. The statistical population included all women heads of households in the welfare organization of Rasht city (2159 individuals) in 2021. The sample size included 60 individuals who were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (20 individuals in the existential therapy group and 20 individuals in the cognitive-behavioral therapy group) and one control group (20 individuals). Then, each of the two experimental groups received 8 sessions of 90-minute group therapy. The cognitive-behavioral therapy was based on the cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol by Antony et al. (2013), and the existential therapy was based on the existential therapy protocol by Irvin Yalom (2016). The data collection tools included the Symptoms of Demoralization Questionnaire by Kissane et al. (2004) and the Life Attitudes Questionnaire by Battista (1973). Data analysis was performed using repeated measures ANOVA. Findings: Based on the effect size values, the effectiveness of both cognitive-behavioral therapy and existential therapy on the demoralization symptoms variable was 43%, and on the life attitudes variable, it was 62%. This effectiveness was significant and persistent (according to the follow-up test results), and both therapies had a lasting impact on the dependent variables. In the variables of demoralization symptoms (F=29.34, p=0.001) and life attitudes (F=62.36, p=0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the three stages of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up in the variables of demoralization symptoms and life attitudes of women heads of households in the two experimental groups (cognitive-behavioral therapy and existential therapy), indicating the significant impact of both therapeutic methods on the research's dependent variables.