Comparing the Effectiveness of Narrative Therapy and Structural Couple Therapy on Marital Distress and Social Isolation among Couples with a Physically Disabled Spouse

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of narrative therapy and structural couple therapy on marital distress and social isolation among couples with a physically disabled spouse in Ahvaz. This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a control group and a two-month follow-up. The population consisted of couples with a physically disabled spouse registered at the Ahvaz Welfare Organization, from whom 30 couples were selected through purposive voluntary sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. The experimental groups received narrative therapy or structural couple therapy in eight 90-minute sessions. Data were collected using marital distress and social isolation scales and analyzed through mixed repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results indicated significant main effects of time and significant time-by-group interaction effects for both marital distress and social isolation. Both therapeutic interventions led to significant reductions in marital distress and social isolation compared to the control group, and these effects remained stable at follow-up. No significant difference was found between the two experimental groups. Both narrative therapy and structural couple therapy are effective and sustainable interventions for reducing marital distress and social isolation in couples with a physically disabled spouse and can be recommended for counseling and rehabilitation settings.