Abstract

Background and Aim: One of the effective and beneficial interventions to enhance marital adjustment is life skills training. This study aimed to determine the effect of life skills training on marital adjustment in Afghan women.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with a control group. The research population included all abused women who referred to Rabia Balkhi and Ibn Sina hospitals in Kabul, Afghanistan. Rabieh Balkhi Center was chosen as the intervention center and another Center as the control. Sampling continued until completed sample size. The instrument used to collect the data was the Marital Adjustment Scale. The participants in the intervention group received routine care services and also attending a life skills training program held in 8 sessions each lasting 90 minutes. The items in the marital Adjustment Scale were completed by the participants in both groups before and immediately after the intervention and two months after the follow-up. The members of the control group received only routine care provided in the center. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS v.16 and descriptive and inferential statistics such as repeated measure analysis.

Results: The results showed that the participants in the two groups had no significant differences in terms of the demographic variables of the two groups. Besides, the two groups showed no significant differences in terms of marital adjustment subscales including dyadic consensus, dyadic satisfaction, dyadic cohesion, and affective expression before the intervention. However, the two groups showed significant differences in terms of marital adjustment subscales after the life skills training program groups (P = 0.001) and the effects of the training programs retained two months after the intervention.

Conclusion: This study showed that the life skills training program is effective on marital adjustment and this training has a lasting effect on improving marital adjustment.

Keywords: Life Skills Training; Marital Adjustment; Women; Afghanistan

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