Marital Adjustment from a Cognitive Empowerment Perspective: Examining the Effectiveness of the Maher Crystallized Intelligence Training Package

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a cognitive empowerment–based Maher Crystallized Intelligence training package on couples’ marital adjustment. A quasi-experimental design with pretest, posttest, and follow-up stages and a control group was employed. The study population consisted of couples experiencing marital communication difficulties who attended counseling centers affiliated with the Martyrs Foundation in Tehran during 2023–2024. A total of 40 couples were selected through convenience and purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Marital adjustment was measured using the Spanier Marital Adjustment Questionnaire. The experimental group participated in 17 group-based sessions of the Maher Crystallized Intelligence training package, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. The results of repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant time × group interaction for overall marital adjustment and all its subscales (P<0.001). Bonferroni post hoc comparisons showed significant differences between pretest and posttest as well as pretest and follow-up, whereas no significant difference was observed between posttest and follow-up, indicating the stability of the intervention effects over time. The Maher Crystallized Intelligence training package appears to be an effective, multidimensional, and culturally grounded intervention for enhancing marital adjustment and sustaining adaptive relational patterns among couples.