impact of imago relationship therapy on covert relational aggression and family cohesion among veteran couples

Background :covert relational aggression (cra) can significantly disrupt family cohesion and marital well-being, and its effects may be amplified in veteran couples due to the specific stressors associated with military experiences. objectives :this study aimed to investigate the impact of imago relationship therapy (irt) on reducing cra and enhancing family cohesion among veteran couples. methods :this study employed a quasi-experimental, pre-test-post-test-follow-up control group design. the study population comprised all couples with veteran spouses who presented at veteran counseling and rehabilitation centers in ahvaz during the fall of 2023. thirty-two participants were recruited via convenience sampling, adhering to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and subsequently assigned to either the experimental (n = 16) or control (n = 16) group. both groups completed the couples relational aggression and victimization scale (cravis) and the family cohesion scale (fcs) at pre-test and post-test. the experimental group received irt delivered across ten 90-minute weekly sessions, while the control group received no intervention during this period. data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (anova). results :the results revealed a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in both cra and family cohesion at the post-test stage (p < 0.01). the irt resulted in a decrease in cra and an increase in family cohesion among veteran couples. this difference between the two groups was also observed at the follow-up stage. conclusions :the irt effectively reduced cra and increased family cohesion among veteran couples, with statistically significant improvements observed at both post-test and follow-up. these findings suggest that this therapeutic approach offers a promising and enduring intervention for enhancing relational dynamics and well-being in this population.