مقایسه اثربخشی ایماگوتراپی با زوج درمانی هیجان مدار بر سبک های حل تعارض و نگرش جنسی در زنان متعارض

Introduction
Marital conflicts, arising from individual differences, sexual attitudes, and conflict resolution styles, can negatively affect mental health, particularly among women. Therapeutic approaches such as Imago Therapy and Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT), which emphasize the improvement of conflict resolution skills and sexual attitudes, may enhance the quality of marital relationships and couples’ satisfaction.
Materials and Methods
This semi-experimental study used a pretest–posttest design with a control group and included 45 women with marital conflict, randomly assigned to Imago Therapy, Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, or a control group. Data were collected using conflict resolution and sexual attitude questionnaires and analyzed with repeated-measures ANOVA.
Results
The findings indicated that both therapeutic approaches significantly improved conflict resolution styles and sexual attitudes at posttest and follow-up assessments (p < 0.001), whereas no significant changes were observed in the control group. No statistically significant differences were found between the Imago Therapy and EFT groups on any of the study variables (p > 0.05). The positive effects of the interventions were maintained at follow-up, indicating the durability of the observed improvements in conflict resolution styles and sexual attitudes.
Discussion
Both Imago Therapy and Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy are similarly effective in improving conflict resolution styles and sexual attitudes among women experiencing marital conflict. Therefore, the choice between these approaches can be guided by clients’ individual characteristics and preferences. Further research is recommended to examine the effects of these interventions across different contexts and populations.