The Effectiveness of Strategic Systemic Therapy on Boundaries and Triangulation of Women with Domestic Violence

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of strategic systemic therapy on boundaries and triangulation among women experiencing domestic violence. The research employed a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with two heterogeneous experimental and control groups. The statistical population comprised all married women in Isfahan in 2024 who had experienced domestic violence. A purposive sampling method was used to select 40 women, who were then randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (20 participants each). Data were collected using the Family Boundaries Questionnaire and the Triangulation Questionnaire (Yousefi & Bahrami, 2016). The experimental group attended eight 90-minute sessions of strategic systemic therapy, while the control group was placed on a waiting list. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests. The results indicated significant differences between the experimental and control groups in all dimensions of family boundaries—flexible boundaries, chaotic boundaries, rigid boundaries—and in triangulation (p<0.001). Furthermore, these differences remained stable at the follow-up stage. Strategic systemic therapy led to an increase in flexible boundaries scores and a decrease in chaotic boundaries, rigid boundaries, and triangulation scores. Strategic systemic therapy is an effective approach for improving communication patterns, restructuring family boundaries, and reducing triangulation among women experiencing domestic violence. This intervention can be applied as an efficient psychotherapeutic method in counseling centers.