Thesis:

The effectiveness of emotion-focused couple therapy on forgiveness and marital satisfaction of mothers with hearing-impaired children

The present research was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of emotionally focused couple therapy on interpersonal forgiveness and marital satisfaction of mothers having a child with hearing impairment. This study was of a quasi?experimental type with a pretest?posttest design and an unequal control group. The statistical population included all mothers having a child with hearing impairment residing in the city of Mashhad in the year 1405, from among whom a sample of 30 individuals was selected by a purposive convenience sampling method and assigned to two groups of 15 individuals, experimental and 15 individuals control. For measuring the variables, the Interpersonal Forgiveness Questionnaire (Eqlidasi et al., 2010) and the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire (Olson et al., 1982) were used. The experimental group, based on the educational protocol of emotionally focused couple therapy, received the intervention over 8 sessions of 90 minutes (one session per week); while the control group received no intervention, and the data were analyzed using multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance in SPSS software version 28. The results showed that emotionally focused couple therapy training has a significant effect on the linear combination of forgiveness and marital satisfaction (Pillai's trace = 0.461, F = 11.541, P < 0.01, eta?squared = 0.461). In examining the subscales of marital satisfaction, the intervention showed a significant effect only on the components of "marital communication" (P = 0.049) and "conflict resolution" (P = 0.027), and the other subscales (personality issues, financial management, leisure activities, sexual relations, children and marriage, relatives and friends, and religious orientation) did not show a significant change. Also, in the subscales of forgiveness, "reconnection and control of vengefulness" (P = 0.015) and "resentment control" (P = 0.016) were significantly improved, but "realistic understanding" (P = 0.866) did not have a significant difference. Emotionally focused couple therapy can be effective especially in strengthening marital communication, resolving conflicts, and reducing resentment and vengefulness in mothers having a child with hearing impairment; however, its effect on some dimensions of satisfaction and forgiveness is limited and needs supplementary investigations.

Keywords: Keywords: Couple Therapy Emotionally Focused, Child with Hearing Impairment, Interpersonal Forgiveness, Marital Satisfaction, Mothers