Effect of Marital Adjustment Strategies on Emotional Divorce Among Married Women

Overview

Aim: The current study aims to evaluate the impact of marital adjustment strategies on emotional divorce among married women. Design: A mixed design consisting of a cross-sectional study and a quasi-experimental one-group pre-test/post-test design. Sample: A purposive sample of 320 married women. Setting: Antenatal Outpatient Clinics at the New Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Mansoura University Hospitals, Egypt. Tools: Data will be collected using three tools: a structured interview questionnaire, the Emotional Divorce Scale, and the Marital Adjustment Strategies Scale. Intervention: Participants will receive a structured marital adjustment strategies program delivered through educational sessions designed to address communication, coping, emotional expression, problem-solving, and marital adjustment strategies. Outcome Measures: Emotional divorce levels and marital adjustment strategies will be assessed at baseline and after completion of the intervention according to the study protocol.

This clinical study is designed to investigate the effectiveness of a structured marital adjustment strategies program in reducing emotional divorce among married women. Emotional divorce is increasingly recognized as a significant yet underreported marital issue characterized by emotional detachment, lack of communication, reduced intimacy, and psychological disengagement between spouses despite the continuation of legal marriage. This phenomenon has substantial negative consequences on women's psychological health, marital satisfaction, family stability, and child well-being. In many cultural contexts, including Egypt, emotional divorce may persist silently for extended periods without progressing to formal legal separation, making it difficult to detect and address through conventional marital support systems. Marriage is widely considered a fundamental social institution that provides emotional security, companionship, and mutual support. However, modern life stressors, including economic pressures, role conflicts, inadequate communication, and unmet emotional needs, may contribute to marital dissatisfaction and emotional withdrawal. Women, particularly those balancing maternal and marital responsibilities, are more vulnerable to experiencing emotional distress within the marital relationship. Consequently, effective coping and marital adjustment strategies are essential for maintaining marital stability and preventing emotional disengagement. Marital adjustment strategies refer to a set of structured cognitive, emotional, and behavioral techniques that aim to enhance communication, improve emotional expression, strengthen problem-solving abilities, and promote adaptive coping within marital relationships. These strategies include, but are not limited to, problem-solving skills, emotional discharge, social support utilization, recreational activities, religious coping, avoidance of maladaptive behaviors, and acceptance strategies. When effectively implemented, These strategies are intended to enhance communication, emotional expression, problem-solving skills, and coping within marital relationships. Despite the growing recognition of emotional divorce, there is a scarcity of interventional studies examining the effectiveness of structured marital adjustment programs, particularly within the Egyptian context. Most existing studies have focused on descriptive or correlational designs without implementing evidence-based interventions. Therefore, this study aims to examine the implementation of a structured educational and counseling program addressing marital adjustment strategies among married women experiencing emotional divorce. The study hypothesizes that emotional divorce scores measured after participation in the marital adjustment strategies program will differ from baseline scores. The quasi-experimental design involves measurement of emotional divorce levels before and after implementation of the intervention within the same group of participants. Although randomization is not applied, this design provides valuable insights into the potential impact of the intervention in a real-world clinical setting. Study Setting The study is conducted at the Antenatal Outpatient Clinics of the New Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital affiliated with Mansoura University Hospitals in Egypt. This setting serves a large number of women from diverse socio-economic and educational backgrounds, providing an appropriate environment for recruiting participants and implementing the intervention. The clinics operate multiple days per week and offer comprehensive maternal healthcare services, including prenatal and postnatal care. The availability of healthcare professionals and educational resources facilitates the implementation of the intervention progra Intervention Description The intervention consists of a structured marital adjustment strategies program delivered through nine educational sessions. Each session lasts approximately 30 minutes and is conducted three times per week. The program is designed to provide participants with practical knowledge and skills to improve marital relationships and reduce emotional disengagement. Session 1 introduces the concept of emotional divorce, its definition, types, prevalence, and impact on individuals and families. Session 2 focuses on identifying the signs, symptoms, and stages of emotional divorce. Session 3 addresses the causes of emotional divorce, including psychological, social, emotional, and sexual factors. Session 4 highlights high-risk couples and discusses the consequences of emotional divorce on family dynamics. Session 5 introduces marital adjustment strategies, particularly problem-solving and recreational techniques. Session 6 emphasizes emotional discharge and social support strategies to enhance communication and emotional expression. Session 7 focuses on religious coping strategies and the role of spirituality in managing marital stress. Session 8 addresses acceptance and adaptation strategies to promote emotional resilience. Session 9, conducted one month after completion of the educational sessions, includes follow-up assessment activities and discussion of participants' experiences with the program. The sessions are delivered using interactive teaching methods, including group discussions, visual aids, educational booklets, and practical exercises. Participants are encouraged to actively engage in the sessions and apply the learned strategies in their daily lives. Data Collection Procedures Data collection is conducted in three phases: baseline assessment (pre-test), intervention implementation, and post-intervention assessment (post-test). During the baseline phase, participants complete the structured interview questionnaire and assessment scales. Following the intervention, participants are reassessed using the same data collection instruments administered at baseline.