Transactional Analysis and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy on Marital Satisfaction: Implications for Christian Couples’ Counselling
Abstract
Marital satisfaction may be the sole key to a couple’s happiness. Thus, this study explores the application of Transactional Analysis and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy in relation to the improvement of marital satisfaction in Christian couples. The study adopted the non-randomised control group pretest-post-test quasi-experimental. The sample size of 400 was purposively drawn from a population of 34,518 for the study. Based on the analysis of the 400 inventories, 15 ‘dissatisfied couples’ (making a total of 30 respondents) were selected and placed into control and experimental groups. The research instrument used was the Marital Satisfaction Inventory (MSI) with a Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient (r) of .89. The finding showed a significant difference in marital satisfaction of couples before and after intervention with regard to transactional analysis theory and solution-focused brief therapy on all the scales of the MSI. Respondents reported improved marital satisfaction, a change from being dissatisfied before intervention and becoming satisfied after intervention. Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that counselling theories such as transactional analysis and solution-focused brief therapy are effective in improving the marital satisfaction levels of couples. To this, it was recommended that marriage counselling practitioners should learn more about the two theories and apply them in helping their clients out of their relationship challenges
Downloads
References
Ackumey, G. T. (2011). The impact of conflict management on marital satisfaction among couples at Duakor, Cape Coast, Ghana: A group guidance approach. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast.
Akpadago, J. K. (2014). Causes of marital satisfaction, dissatisfaction and divorce as perceived by the people of Navrongo. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast.
Amanelahifard, A., Nikbakht, A., Hoseini, S. H., Fakhr, M. A., & Hoseini, S. (2012). The comparison of marital satisfaction and quality of life between fertile and infertile women. Biannual Journal of Applied Counselling, 2(1), 75-88.
Amidu, N., Owiredu, W. K. B. A., Gyasi-Sarpong, C. K., Woode, E., & Quaye, L. (2011). Sexual dysfunction among married couples living in Kumasi metropolis, Ghana. BMC Urology, 11(1), 3.
Andromico, R. L. (2009). The chronological elevator. A re-decision model for Roth the TA therapist. Journal of Family Psychology, 32, 731-802.
Arthur-Norman, E. (2015). Marital satisfaction of church leaders in the Church of Pentecost, Cape Coast. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast.
Badakhshan, Z. (2015). The effectiveness of solution-focused brief group therapy on reducing marital burnout in men. Indian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Life Sciences, 5(3), 1156-1162.
Barrientos, J., & Paez, D. (2006). Psychosexual variables of sexual satisfaction in Chile. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 32, 351-368.
Berne, E. (1961). Transactional analysis in psychotherapy. Grove Press, Inc.
Beyebach, M., & Carranza, J. L. (1997). Therapeutic interaction and dropout: Measuring relational communication in solution-focused therapy. Journal of Family Therapy, 19, 173-212.
Bozeman, C. (1999). The efficacy of solution-focused therapy techniques on perceptions of hope in clients with depressive symptoms. (Doctoral dissertation, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC4062279/
Bradbury, T. N., Fincham, F. D., & Beach, S. R. (2000). research on the nature and determinants of marital satisfaction: A decade in review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62(4), 964-980.
Brooks, K. R. (2014). Religiosity and marital satisfaction: A study of how religion impacts happiness in marriage (Unpublished master’s thesis). Liberty University.
Burleson, B. R., & Denton, W. H. (1997). The relationship between communication skill and
marital satisfaction: Some moderating effects. Journal of Marriage and Family, 59(4), 884-902.
Carriero, R. (2011). A cross-national study of women’s marital status and work effort in the formal and informal sectors. Journal of Family Issues, 32(11), 1445-1468.
Cockburn, J., Thomas, J. A., & Cockburn, M. J. (1997). Solution-focused therapy and psychosocial adjustment to orthopaedic rehabilitation in a work hardening program. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 7(2), 97–106.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education (6th ed.). Taylor & Francis Publications.
Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counselling and psychotherapy (8th ed.). Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Corey, G., & Corey, M. S. (1992). Groups: Process and practice (4th ed.). Brooks/Cole.
Cowan, P. A., & Cowan, C. P. (1992). Cowan, C. P., & Cowan, P. A. (1992). When partners become parents: The big life change for couples. Basic Books.
Cummings, E. M., & Davies, P. (2010). Marital conflict and children: An emotional security perspective. Guilford Press.
Cunningham, J., Braiker, H., & Kelley, H. (1982). Marital status and sex differences in problems reported by married and cohabitating couples. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 6, 415-427.
Dabone, J. K. (2012). Marital satisfaction among married people in Sunyani municipality. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast.
Daily Mail Reporter (2013, June 12). Interfering in-laws responsible for one in ten divorces
in Britain. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2340062/ Interfering-laws-responsible-10-divorces-Britain-study-finds.html#ixzz4lsSAj6aR
Dancer, L. S., & Gilbert, L. A. (1993). Spouses’ family work participation and its relation to wives’ occupational level. Sex Roles, 28, 127-145.
Danesh, A. (2006). The effect of transactional analysis method on the marital compatibility of discordant couples. Proceedings of the 2nd National Congress on Family Pathology in Iran (p. 169). Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran. Retrieved from http://maxwellsci.com/print/crjbs/v6- 191-196.pdf
Davoodi, M., Etemadi, A., & Bahrami, F. (2011). Short-term solution-focused approach to reduce the propensity to divorce in women and men leading to divorce. Journal of Scientific Research Social Refahj, 11(43), 121-134.
De Jong, P., & Berg, I. K. (1998). Interviewing for solutions. Brooks/Cole.
Deal, T. E., & Peterson, K. D. (2010). Shaping school culture: Pitfalls, paradoxes, and promises. John Wiley & Sons.
Edwards, V. J., & Booth, M. Z. (1994). Sexuality, marriage, and well-being: The middle years. In A. S. Rossi (Ed.), Sexuality across the life course (pp. 223-260). The University of Chicago Press.
Ellison, C. G., & Anderson, K. L. (2001). Religious involvement and domestic violence among U.S. couples. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 40(2), 269-286.
Ellison, C. G., Henderson, A. K., Glenn, N. D., & Harkrider, S. (2011). Sanctification, stress and marital quality. Family Relations, 60, 404–420.
Essuman, J. K. (2010). Marital satisfaction inventory. University of Cape Coast Press.
Fagan, P. (2006). Why religion matters even more: The impact of religious practice on social stability. http://www.heritage.org/civil-society/report/why-religion- matters-even-more-the-impact-religious-practice-social-stability
Fisher, T. D. (2009). Sexual communication between partners. In H. T., Reis & S. Sprecher (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of human relationships (pp. 1456-1457). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Ltd.
Franklin, C., Moore, K., & Hopson, L. (2008). Effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy in a school setting. Children and Schools, 30(1), 15–26.
Franklin, C., Trepper, T. S., Gingerich, W. J., & McCollum, E. E. (Eds.). (2012). Solution-focused brief therapy: A handbook of evidence-based practice. Oxford University Press.
Frost, J. (2015, February 15). Choosing between a nonparametric test and a parametric test. http://blog.minitab.com/blog/adventures-in-statistics-2/choosing-between-a nonparametric-test-and-a-parametric-test.
Gayol, G. N. (1997). Diagnosis and treatment of ego state of boundary problem: Effect on self-esteem and quality of life. Transactional Analysis Journal, 27, 236-241.
Geiss, S. K., & O’Leary, K. D. (1981). Therapist ratings of frequency and severity of marital problems: Implications for research. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 7(4), 515-520.
Gingerich, W. J., & Eisengart, S. (2000). Gingerich, W. J., & Eisengart, S. (2000). Solution-focused brief therapy: A review of the outcome research. Family Process, 39(4), 477–498.
Gladding, S. T. (2007). Family therapy: History, theory, and practice (4th ed.). Merrill/Prentice-Hall.
Glenn, N. D. (1990). Quantitative research on marital quality in the 1980s: A critical review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52(4), 818-832.
Greenstein, T. N. (2009). National context, family satisfaction, and fairness in the division of household labour. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(4), 1039-1051.
Hattar-Pollara, M., Meleis, A. I., & Nagib, W. (2000). A study of the spousal role of Egyptian women in clerical jobs. Health Care for Women International, 21, 305-317.
Heaton, T. B., & Pratt, E. L. (1990). The effects of religious homogamy on marital satisfaction and stability. Journal of Family Issues, 11, 191-208.
Hetherington, E. M., & Kelly, J. (2002). For better or for worse: Divorce reconsidered. Norton & Company
Holt-Lunstad, J., Birmingham, W. C., & Jones, B. Q. (2008). Is there something unique about marriage? The relative impact of marital status, relationship quality, and network social support on ambulatory blood pressure and mental health. Annals of Behavioural Medicine, 35(2), 239-244.
Hosseini, T., Majd, M. A, GHamari, M. (2013). The effectiveness of solution-focused group
counselling in enhancing marital intimacy of married women. Family Health, 1(4), 53–63.
Jackson, J., Halberstadt, J., Jong, J., & Felman, H. (2015). Perceived openness to experience accounts for religious homogamy. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6(6) 1-9.
Jacobs, E., Masson, R. L., & Harvill, R. L. (2006). Group counselling: Strategies & skills (5th ed.). Brooks/Cole.
Javanmarda, G. H., & Garegozlob, R. M. (2013). The study of relationship between marital satisfaction and personality characteristics in Iranian families. Social and Behavioural Sciences, 84, 396–399.
Johnson, S., & Lebow, J. (2000). The coming of age of couple therapy: A decade of review. Journal of Marital & Family Therapy, 26(1), 23- 38.
Kalmijn, M., & Poortman, A. R. (2006). Kalmijn, M., & Poortman, A. (2006). His or her divorce? The gendered nature of divorce and its determinants. European Sociological Review, 22(2), 201-214.
Kim, J. S. (2006). Examining the effectiveness of solution-focused brief therapy: A meta-analysis using random effects modelling. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle /2152/2739
LaFountain, R. M., & Garner, N. E. (1996). Solution-focused counselling groups: The results are in. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 21(2), 128–143
Lee, M. Y. (1997). The study of solution-focused brief family therapy: Outcomes and issues. American Journal of Family Therapy, 25(1), 3-17.
Lee, T., Sun, G., & Chao, S. (2001). The effect of an infertility diagnosis on the distress, marital satisfaction between husbands and wives in Taiwan. Human Reproduction, 16(8), 1762-1767.
Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Practical research planning and design. Pearson Education Incorporated.
Lindforss, L., & Magnusson, D. (1997). Solution-focused therapy in prison. Contemporary Family Therapy, 19(1), 89–103.
Litzinger, S., & Gordon, K. C. (2005). Exploring relationships among communication, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 31(5), 409-424.
MacDonald, A. J. (1994). MacDonald, A. J. (1994). Brief therapy in adult psychiatry. Journal of Family Therapy, 16, 415 - 426.
Metcalf, L. (1998).). Solution-focused group therapy: Ideas for groups in private practice, schools, agencies, and treatment programmes. The Free Press.
Mitchel, G., & Gordon, I. (2014). Experimental design in social science research. Doddy Hall.
Mostafavi, S. K., Ghojavand, K., & Mosavi, S. E. (2014). The effect of group counselling with transactional analysis method on self-acceptance of couples with family dispute in counselling centres in Esfahan City. MAGNT Research Report, 2, 27-31.
Copyright (c) 2023 Rita Holm Adzovie, PhD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
