Effectiveness of Couple Boundaries Training Based on Islamic Sources on Family Resilience and Marital Burnout among Married Women in Ilam City

Extended Abstract
 
Introduction and Objectives: As the most fundamental and authentic social institution, the family plays a pivotal and irreplaceable role in the formation, sustainability, and transcendence of human societies, laying the groundwork for human growth and perfection in various individual and social dimensions (Hosseini Alamdari, 2016, p. 52). Almighty God has established the basis of human life and the survival of the human race on the concept of “couplehood” (zawjiyyat) and the sacred institution of the family, and the health and efficiency of the family system directly affect the individual and social well-being of all members of society. The roots of family problems also go back to a set of factors that directly or indirectly affect relationships among family members.
Among the hazards that can destabilize couple relationships and the family unit in recent decades are decreased family resilience in facing tensions and the emergence of marital burnout; these challenges can lead to decreased satisfaction, increased likelihood of psychological and social harms, high rates of formal and emotional divorces, and the emergence of non-traditional families and unsupervised children—all of which indicate fundamental problems in the structure of contemporary families (Pines, 2013).
Family resilience refers to the ability of individuals to face challenges and crises and return safely to a desirable state. In the family domain, resilience is defined as the family system’s capacity to restore balance and effective functioning after facing difficult and stressful conditions and is of great importance in maintaining family health and dynamism (Tsirigotis & Łuczak, 2018).
Marital burnout is another factor threatening families, meaning the loss of objective feelings of satisfaction, contentment, and experienced pleasure, and is characterized by emotional exhaustion, reduced sense of commitment and attachment, and negative attitudes toward the spouse and the marital relationship (Ahari et al., 2018; Alsawalqa, 2019); in fact, the accumulation of frustrations, tensions, and negative anxieties of daily life is the cause of erosion and, consequently, burnout. This condition occurs when there is no compatibility between couples’ expectations and the reality of the relationship (Pines, 2013).
Technically, marital burnout is not merely a type of dissatisfaction, but a three-dimensional syndrome comprising emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment in the relationship. This construct represents a chronic emotional and cognitive rupture that weakens the couple system’s ability to activate its resilience resources; in contrast, family resilience as a process variable focuses on three main axes: shared belief systems (such as positive meaning-making in crisis), family organizational patterns (including flexibility and coherence), and communication and problem-solving processes. Any abnormality that disrupts the family system’s efficiency in these three axes increases the risk of reduced resilience and increased burnout (Sen et al., 2023; Topkaya et al., 2024).
One of the factors damaging the family and weakening couple relationships, especially in the occurrence of the two aforementioned harms, is the abnormality of family boundaries. One of the important family issues is the cognitive distance of members and the scope of action of subsystems in the family, which is referred to as “boundary” (Salarifar, 2009). A boundary is an imaginary barrier or limit that serves to maintain and advance the distinction and integrity of the family as a whole as well as subsystems and family members. The boundaries of a subsystem specify the rules of who and how one is part of this subsystem. Boundaries are among the structural components of the family system.
In this context, the role of “couple boundaries” as a key structure in organizing relationships within and outside the couple subsystem has received attention. Couple boundaries refer to imaginary lines derived from behavioral patterns, rules, and expectations that separate the couple subsystem from other subsystems and the external environment. These boundaries play a decisive role in how couples interact with each other and with individuals outside the subsystem (Houshyari, 2020).
According to Minuchin’s structural family theory, boundaries are divided into three main categories based on permeability: diffuse boundaries that lead to enmeshment and lack of independence of the couple subsystem; rigid boundaries that cause emotional disengagement and excessive distance between couples and other family members; and clear or normative boundaries that provide the possibility of intimacy, mutual support while maintaining the identity and autonomy of couples. Abnormality of boundaries in any form (diffuse or enmeshed) is considered a structural and stressful factor that disrupts the couple subsystem’s functioning in maintaining privacy, joint decision-making, and stress management and provides the ground for burnout and reduced systemic resilience. The lack of transparency and non-commitment to internal and external family boundaries is one of the most important factors in the occurrence of family conflicts. Abnormality in these boundaries can lead to problems such as interference of roles and duties, reduced independence of couples, and increased family conflicts, ultimately resulting in marital dissatisfaction (Minuchin, 2023, pp. 1008-1012).
In the analysis of family experts, Kalantari et al. (2011) show that about 8% of divorces in Iran are rooted in family factors, including non-observance of these boundaries; therefore, creating healthy boundaries is suggested as a therapeutic and preventive solution.
Rapid social, industrial, and scientific changes in various societies have created numerous challenges for families; at the same time, the inadequacy of Western family therapy theories with secular premises and their incompatibility with the religious and cultural models of Iranian society has doubled the need to use indigenous and religious models. The key to this model in comparison with the structural approach is not in describing the structure, but in the foundations and ultimate goal of boundaries; while structural theory defines boundaries based on psychological and observational efficiency, the Islamic model explains couple boundaries according to a normative and jurisprudential framework (practical rulings and ethics). This normative framework considers boundaries not merely a descriptive construct, but a prescriptive and obligatory principle whose ultimate goal is spiritual transcendence and the fulfillment of divine duties in the family institution. This reinforces the internal motivation for adhering to boundaries and gives couples a stronger belief system for maintaining cohesion and managing stress in the direction of resilience (Houshyari, 2020).
Given this fundamental need, educating couples in the field of regulating and creating healthy communication boundaries is raised as a necessity in today’s families. This education can help improve family efficiency, increase marital satisfaction, and ultimately strengthen family resilience and reduce marital burnout. The educational package for regulating couple boundaries based on Islamic sources was prepared and validated by Khorrami, Houshyari, and Taghiyan (2023) based on Islamic sources. Findings of previous research have shown that this educational program is effective in optimizing couples’ physical boundaries, satisfying couples’ emotional-sexual needs, improving interaction with non-mahrams, improving couples’ verbal relationships, preventing couples’ infidelity, improving couples’ sexual relations, couples’ preferred interactions with each other, committing couples to ethical principles, and maintaining family information (Khorrami, Houshyari, & Taghiyan, 2023; Houshyari, 2020). In various studies such as Qafihi and Houshyari (2024), Khorrami, Houshyari, and Taghiyan (2023), Gholamian and Houshyari (2023), Kachouei, Houshyari, and Mohammadian (2023), Shirchi and Houshyari (2022), Safouraee Parizi and Nouri Ahmadabadi (2023), the effectiveness of the couple boundaries educational package and its relationship with various variables has been examined, but so far the effect of this education on improving family resilience and reducing marital burnout has not been examined simultaneously; therefore, the present study seeks to examine the effectiveness of couple boundaries training on family resilience and marital burnout. This research tries to provide scientific evidence based on religious and cultural models to improve the health and dynamism of the family system in society and to answer the clinical and educational needs of this field.
Research Method: This research is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design, a non-equivalent control group, and a two-month follow-up. The statistical population of the study included all married women residing in Ilam city. The research sample of 30 individuals was selected using convenience sampling, and participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 individuals each). Inclusion criteria were: at least one year elapsed since the date of marriage, no history of referral to psychotherapy and counseling centers in the last six months, and informed consent to participate in the research. Individuals who missed more than one session of the educational intervention program were excluded from the final data analysis. The experimental group received the educational package “Regulating Couple Boundaries Based on Islamic Sources” developed by Khorrami, Houshyari, and Taghiyan in ten two-hour sessions, while the control group received no educational intervention during this period. Data collection instruments included the Family Resilience Questionnaire (Sixbey, 2005) with 66 items and the Marital Burnout Scale (Pines) with 20 items, whose reliability has been confirmed in domestic studies. Data were collected at three time points: pretest, posttest, and two-month follow-up. Data analysis was performed using SPSS statistical software; descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, and standard error of the mean) were used to describe the data, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to compare group scores after controlling for the effect of pretest scores. Upon completion of all research stages, ethical considerations were observed by providing the educational content to the control group.
Results: Descriptive findings showed that the mean family resilience score in the experimental group increased significantly from 203.1 (SD = 14.20) in the pretest phase to 228.6 (SD = 11.79) in the posttest phase, while no noticeable change was observed in the control group. Furthermore, the mean marital burnout score in the experimental group decreased considerably from 68.41 (SD = 16.31) in the pretest to 41.4 (SD = 10.03) in the posttest. Results of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and examination of skewness and kurtosis indices confirmed the normal distribution of data for both variables at an appropriate confidence level. The necessary statistical assumptions for conducting ANCOVA, including homogeneity of regression slopes and equality of variances, were also examined using relevant tests and confirmed to hold.
The results of ANCOVA for the family resilience variable indicated that, after removing and controlling for the effects of pretest scores, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups at the posttest stage (F = 97.25, df = 27, P < 0.001). ANCOVA for the marital burnout variable also showed a significant difference between the groups after controlling for pretest scores (F = 11.18, df = 27, P < 0.001). Therefore, the findings indicate that training in couple boundaries based on Islamic sources significantly increased family resilience and decreased marital burnout among married women. These effects remained stable at the two-month follow-up stage, indicating the durability of the educational intervention’s impact. Thus, both sub-hypotheses of the research—increased family resilience and decreased marital burnout in the experimental group—were confirmed.
Discussion and Conclusion: The findings of the present study demonstrated that structured training in couple boundaries based on Islamic sources, by clarifying mutual expectations, respecting personal privacy, and strengthening communication skills, increases the family’s capacity to adapt effectively to life crises and challenges. This educational intervention, inspired by the normative framework of Islam and fundamental concepts such as Sakīnah (tranquility), Mawaddah (affection), and Raḥmah (compassion), strengthens couples’ internal motivation for adhering to healthy boundaries and provides a stronger belief system for managing stress and resolving conflicts.
The significant reduction in marital burnout is likely due to reduced role conflicts, increased emotional intimacy, prevention of unnecessary enmeshment, and the creation of a safe space for expressing needs and feelings. These results align with findings from previous research on the effectiveness of educational packages based on Islamic sources (Qafihi & Houshyari, 2024; Khorrami, Houshyari, & Taghiyan, 2024; Gholamian & Houshyari, 2023; Kachouei, Houshyari, & Mohammadian, 2023; Shirchi & Houshyari, 2022; Safouraee Parizi & Nouri Ahmadabadi, 2023) and confirm the efficacy of indigenous and religious models in family therapy interventions.
Comparison with Previous Research:
The findings of this study are consistent with the results of Qafihi and Houshyari (2024), Khorrami, Houshyari, and Taghiyan (2024), Gholamian and Houshyari (2023), Kachouei, Houshyari, and Mohammadian (2023), Shirchi and Houshyari (2022), and Safouraee Parizi and Nouri Ahmadabadi (2023), confirming the effectiveness of the educational package on family resilience. Resilience is considered one of the fundamental personality components for regulating motivation, emotion, and behavior (Shrivastava & Desousa, 2016). Resilience is not merely passive resistance against harm or threatening conditions; rather, a resilient individual plays an active and constructive role in shaping their environment (E’tebar Jahromi, 2010). This finding highlights the importance of clear boundaries in strengthening the family’s ability to adapt and recover from problems. Family resilience refers to the family’s capacity to withstand crises, recover from adversities, and even grow as a result of them. A correct definition of boundaries prevents unnecessary enmeshment, improves communications, reduces misunderstandings and conflicts, and respects personal privacy and family autonomy. Families with healthy boundaries are neither enmeshed and intrusive nor rigid and disengaged; rather, they possess the necessary flexibility to change boundaries in response to different situations. This flexibility is one of the key components of resilience.
The second finding of the study showed that couple boundaries training significantly reduces marital burnout. The mean marital burnout score in the experimental group was lower than the control group, and this difference was interpreted in favor of the experimental group; in other words, it reduced the level of marital burnout. This finding is also consistent with the results of previous research (Qafihi & Houshyari, 2024; Khorrami, Houshyari, & Taghiyan, 2024; Gholamian & Houshyari, 2023).
Practical Implications:
It is recommended that this educational package be utilized in family counseling centers, health clinics, and premarital education programs. Future research should examine its effectiveness with male samples, couples jointly, and with extended follow-up periods.
Limitations:
Limitations of the present study include the use of a sample of married women from Ilam city, the convenience sampling method, and the non-generalizability of findings to men or other cultural contexts.
Acknowledgements: The authors sincerely express their gratitude and appreciation to all participants in the research and the collaborating centers in Ilam city that assisted in the data collection process. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest in conducting and publishing this research.