The Comparison of the effectiveness of group counseling based on Gottman's theory and Glasser's choice theory on increasing marital satisfaction and decreasing marital conflicts in married women

Introduction: Marriage has always been emphasized as the most important factor in achieving the emotional needs. The satisfaction of marital relationship decreases over time and among many couples. This study was carried out to compare the effectiveness of group counseling based on Gottman's theory and Glasser's choice theory on increasing satisfaction and decreasing marital conflicts among married women. Methods: This semi-experimental research was run with pre-test and post-test design with experimental (2 groups) and control group. The statistical sample consisted of 45 married women who had referred to the counseling and psychological services center in Bandar Abbas city to solve their marital problems during 2016. They were selected using purposive sampling method from the initial 75 volunteers and randomly replaced in two experimental groups (Gottman's theory and Glasser's choice theory experimental groups) and one control group. The data was collected through the Enrich marital satisfaction questionnaire and marital conflict questionnaire by Sanaie et al and were analyzed using SPSS 22 software. Statistical methods such as single- and multi-variable covariance analysis tests were used for data analysis. Results: The results showed that group counseling led to increase in marital satisfaction and decrease in marital conflicts in married women in the post-test, compared with the control group (P<0.01), but no significant difference was observed between the effectiveness of two approaches on marital satisfaction and conflicts (P<0.05). Conclusion: Group counseling based on two theories had significant effects on increasing the satisfaction and reduction of marital conflicts and can be used by the couple therapists.