The Effectiveness of Verbal Skills Training Integrated with Islamic Spirituality in Enhancing Marital Satisfaction

Extended Abstract
 
Introduction and Objectives: Marriage, as the cornerstone of society and the oldest social institution, plays an unparalleled role in ensuring individuals’ mental health and social stability. Within this context, the quality of the marital relationship is the most critical determinant of family stability and success, and communication skills—particularly the ability to engage in effective verbal communication—lie at the heart of this quality. Numerous studies in the field of family therapy have demonstrated that the inability to express emotions, needs, and expectations clearly is one of the main roots of conflict, dissatisfaction, and ultimately, the dissolution of marital relationships.
From a psychological perspective, verbal communication serves as a tool through which couples reveal their inner worlds to each other and cultivate intimacy. In contrast, from an Islamic perspective, dialogue holds a position beyond a mere communicative tool; it represents a realm for the manifestation of ethics, spirituality, and the pursuit of divine approval. Religious texts place significant emphasis on the use of kind, affectionate, and respectful speech. For instance, the Prophet’s saying that “The words of a man to his wife, ‘I love you,’ never leave his heart” clearly highlights the importance of verbal expressions of love in strengthening the family foundation.
Despite the richness of Islamic teachings in this area and the well-established importance of communication skills in psychology, a significant research gap exists regarding the integration of these two domains. Previous studies have either focused solely on psychological aspects or addressed religious recommendations theoretically. Therefore, the present study aimed to fill this gap by designing and evaluating a comprehensive training package that integrates verbal skills with the principles of Islamic spirituality. The primary objective of this research is to examine the effectiveness of this intervention in enhancing overall marital satisfaction and to analyze its impact on ten specific dimensions of satisfaction: verbal communication, religious commitment, conflict resolution, financial management, sexual relations, leisure activities, parenting, gender roles, personality issues, and kinship ties. The main hypothesis is that such training can produce significant and lasting improvements in the functional and relational aspects of married life.
Method: From the perspective of its objective, this study is applied research, as its results can be directly utilized in counseling centers and divorce prevention programs. Methodologically, a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group and follow-up was employed to assess the intervention’s effects more accurately.
The statistical population included all couples at risk who, due to marital dissatisfaction, had visited a counseling center affiliated with the Judiciary in Tehran in 2022. From this population, 30 couples (60 individuals) who met the inclusion criteria were selected through convenience sampling. After receiving full explanations about the study’s objectives and procedures, the participants signed informed consent forms and were randomly assigned to two groups: the experimental group (15 couples) and the control group (15 couples).
Inclusion criteria were having at least a high school diploma (to ensure comprehension of the training content), a monthly income above 9 million Tomans (to control for the effect of severe financial stress), an age range of 25 to 40 years, and at least two years of marital life. Couples involved in addiction, infidelity, or severe psychological disorders were excluded from the study.
The primary instrument was the Islamic Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire, developed by Jodiri (2009). This questionnaire comprises 50 Likert-scale items assessing ten main components of marital satisfaction. Its validity and reliability have been confirmed in previous studies using methods such as Cronbach’s alpha and factor analysis.
The experimental group participated in a structured training protocol consisting of ten 60-minute sessions (two sessions per week). The content of these sessions was developed based on authoritative Islamic sources (Quran and Hadith) and psychological theories of communication, under the supervision of experts in religion and psychology. Session topics included self-awareness and understanding differences, identifying mutual needs, clarifying roles and responsibilities from an Islamic perspective, training constructive communication styles, active listening skills, assertiveness and expressing emotions, barriers to effective dialogue, anger management and conflict resolution, and, finally, summary and practical exercises. The control group did not receive any intervention during this period.
Data collected at three stages (pretest, posttest, and two-month follow-up) were analyzed using SPSS software. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to summarize the data, while inferential statistics, particularly repeated measures ANOVA, were employed to compare changes between the two groups over time. Prior to the main analysis, statistical assumptions such as normality of data distribution (Shapiro-Wilk test) and homogeneity of variances (Levene’s test) were examined and confirmed.
Results: Data analysis yielded significant results. The mean total marital satisfaction scores in the experimental group increased markedly from the pretest to the posttest and follow-up stages, whereas no notable change was observed in the control group. Repeated measures ANOVA indicated a significant interaction effect of time × group (p = 0.001, F = 12.699). This finding suggests that the pattern of changes in marital satisfaction scores over time differed between the experimental and control groups, and this difference was attributable to the educational intervention. The effect size (partial eta squared) was 0.341, indicating a medium-to-large effect.
Detailed Analysis of Components: A more detailed analysis of the components yielded the following results: The training in verbal communication skills integrated with Islamic spirituality led to significant improvements in eight components: verbal communication, religious commitment, conflict resolution, financial management, sexual relations, leisure activities, parenting, and the roles of men and women in family life. This intervention did not have a significant effect on the components of “personality issues” and “maintaining kinship ties.” The persistence of the training effects was evaluated by comparing posttest and follow-up (two months later) scores, which indicated that the improvements in the experimental group remained stable.
Discussion and Conclusions: The findings of this study clearly indicate that integrating psychological communication skills with Islamic spiritual and ethical teachings constitutes an effective and efficient approach to enhancing marital satisfaction. This intervention helped couples, through training in proper communication methods, to develop better mutual understanding, accept individual differences, and resolve conflicts constructively without blame. These results align with previous studies (e.g., Ebrahimi & Janbozorgi; Salari-Far; Zare et al.) that emphasize the positive role of spirituality and communication skills in improving relationships.
The lack of effect of the intervention on the “personality issues” component was expected, as personality traits are deep-seated and stable structures that require longer-term and more intensive psychotherapeutic interventions for change. Similarly, the absence of change in the “maintaining kinship ties” component can be attributed to the fact that this domain is more influenced by cultural factors, family norms, and the expectations of relatives, and cannot be improved solely through enhancing intra-couple skills.