The Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy on Self-Handicapping and Perceived Stress among Married Nurses in Sari City

Kaviani, Fatemeh; Bakhshipour Joybari, Babollah; Babai Kafaki, Hoda

doi:10.22059/japr.2026.405489.645409

The Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy on Self-Handicapping and Perceived Stress among Married Nurses in Sari City

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Fatemeh Kaviani ¹

Babollah Bakhshipour Joybari ²

Hoda Babai Kafaki ³

¹ Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Sari Branch, Sari, Iran.

² Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Farvardin Institute of Higher Education, Qaemshahr, Iran

10.22059/japr.2026.405489.645409

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) on self-handicapping and perceived stress among married nurses in Sari. The research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest–posttest and control group. The statistical population included all married female nurses working in public hospitals in 2024. Based on inclusion criteria, 30 participants were purposively selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 participants in each group). Data were collected using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Self-Handicapping Scale (SHS). The experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of EFCT, while the control group received no intervention. After the intervention, both groups completed the posttest. Data analysis was conducted using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS version 26. Results showed significant differences between the two groups in posttest scores of self-handicapping (F=40.27, p<0.05) and perceived stress (F=63.68, p<0.05) after controlling for pretest scores. These findings indicate that EFCT can effectively reduce self-handicapping and perceived stress among married nurses, suggesting it as a useful intervention for improving their psychological well-being and family functioning.

Keywords

Perceived Stress

Nurses

Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy

Self-Handicapping