ARTICLE INFO

Article Type

Descriptive & Survey Study

Authors

Bashardoust   S. (*1)
Bagheri Matin   P. (1)






(*1) Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Social Sciences, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen , Iran

Correspondence

Address: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Social Sciences, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ayatollah Khameneei Boulevard, Roudehen, Iran. Postal Code: 3973188981
Phone: +98 (21) 76505894
Fax: +98 (21) 76507665
sibashardoust@yahoo.com

Article History

Received:  September  14, 2020
Accepted:  January 5, 2021
ePublished:  March 7, 2021

BRIEF TEXT


Wars are among the most enduring events in terms of the extent of their effects on the economic, social, cultural, and family life of the people, as well as the resulted extensive social changes, and leave lasting memories in the minds of those involved in wars [1].

... [2]. The war-related stresses and their devastating effects on the mind of individuals and the adverse effects of war on the family continue after the end of the war when the warriors back to their families. In the meantime, the worrier’s spouse has a special position because compared with other people in the society, she is particularly affected by the complications caused by the physical and mental disabilities of the veteran. ... [2-13] .. ... [14-25]. Veterans' wives with self-differentiation can have a clear definition of themselves and their beliefs. They can choose their direction in life and in very emotional situations, in which many people exhibit involuntary behaviors and unsuccessful decisions, they do not lose control and make decisions based on reason and logic [26]. Veterans' wives can also ignore many shortcomings and help their mental health if they have interpersonal forgiveness [21].

The aim of this study was to identify the differences between self-differentiation and interpersonal forgiveness in veterans' and non-veterans' wives.

The present study was a non-experimental study with a causal-comparative method.

The present study was performed on all the wives of veterans with an injury level of 25% who referred to the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs in Damavand and the wives of non-veterans living in Damavand in 2020.

Veterans' wives were randomly selected from the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs in Damavand. Non-veterans' wives were selected from the cities of Damavand County (Damavand, Kilan, Absard, Roodehen, and Abali). Accordingly, 2 cities of Damavand and Roodehen were randomly selected and from each city, 2 governmental centers and from each center, 10 employed married women referring to these centers were randomly selected. A sample size of at least 30 people in each group is recommended for causal-comparative research [27]. In the present study, using GPower 3.1 software, considering the confidence level of 95%, test power of 80%, the regression coefficient of 0.7 for the veteran group and 0.4 for the non-veteran group, 39 cases were considered for each group and considering the incomplete answers to the questionnaires, 40 subjects were regarded for each group. Inclusion criteria were at least middle school education, no use of psychiatric drugs, and consent to participate in the study.

Research instruments included Skowron and Smith self-differentiation scale [28] and interpersonal forgiveness scale developed by Ehteshamzadeh et al. [29]: Self-differentiation scale: this scale focuses on adults, important life relationships, and current relationships of individuals with their main families [28]. The alpha coefficient reported by Skowron and Friedlander [30] was 0.88 and in the study by Plage-Popco was 0.86 [31]. In Iran, the total reliability of the questionnaire was estimated by Kazemian and Delavar [32] using Cronbach's alpha of 0.78. Also, this test was standardized in Iran on a normal sample by Younesi [33] and its validity was announced to be 0.85 for the whole scale. Interpersonal Forgiveness Scale: Ehteshamzadeh et al. [29] designed and validated a scale to measure interpersonal forgiveness. Ehteshamzadeh et al. [29] in a study to measure the validity of this scale, used its simultaneous implementation with the forgiveness subscale in the main family, and the correlation between these two scales was significant. Also, the validity of this scale was obtained by Kiamehr from 0.71 to 0.91 [29]. After obtaining the ethical permission from the Islamic Azad University of Roodehen, the relevant organizations were referred and questionnaires were distributed among the two sample groups (spouses of veterans and non-veterans). The researcher explained the objectives of the research and ways to promote mental health, as well as how to complete the questionnaires. The participants then completed the Self-Differentiation and Interpersonal Forgiveness Scales. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20 statistical software using multivariate analysis of variance.

The age range of the participants was 46-59 years with the education level from middle school to master's degree. The mean age of veterans 'wives was 52.55±0.94 and the mean age of non-veterans' wives was 52.47±0.99 years. Among the veterans' wives, 17 cases (42.5%) had a middle school education, 14 cases (35%) had a diploma, 5 cases (12.5%) had a Bachelor’s degree, and 4 cases (10%) had a Master’s degree. Among the non-veterans' wives, 17 cases (42.5%) had middle school education, 13 cases (32.5%) had a diploma, 7 (17.5%) had a bachelor's degree and 3 (7.5%) had a master's degree. The mean score of self-differentiation in the group of veterans 'wives was significantly higher than non-veterans' wives (p<0.05), The mean score of the subscale of I- position in the wives of veterans was significantly higher than the wives of non-veterans (p<0.05). However, the mean scores of the subscales of affective reactivity, emotional cutoff, and fusion with others were not significantly different between the two groups (p<0.05; Table 1). The mean score of interpersonal forgiveness was not significantly different between the wives of veterans and non-veterans (p <0.05). The mean score of the subscales of reconnection and revenge control, resentment control, and realistic comprehension were not significantly different between the two groups (p<0.05; Table 2).

The aim of this study was to identify the differences between interpersonal forgiveness and self-differentiation in the wives of veterans and non-veterans. The results of multivariate analysis of variance showed that regarding self-differentiation, the component of I-position had a higher mean score in the wives of veterans, which showed that this component had better conditions in them than the wives of non-veterans. However, in other components of emotional reactivity, emotional cutoff, and fusion with others, the differences in mean scores were not significant. A review of previous studies has shown conflicting results with these findings. Lahau et al. [8] showed that the wives of former warriors had a lower self-differentiation and negative perception of health compared with the spouses of the control group. Solomon [34] also showed that self-differentiation was lower in the spouses of former prisoners of war compared with the control group. … [35]. … [26-39]. Another finding of this study was no significant difference between the mean scores of the three subscales of reconnection and revenge control, resentment control, and realistic comprehension of the interpersonal forgiveness in veterans' and non-veterans' wives. Ehteshamzadeh et al. [39] showed that there was a significant positive relationship between forgiveness and marital satisfaction of veterans' wives and showed that forgiveness is the best predictor of the level of marital satisfaction of veterans and their wives. Beigi et al. [40] found that forgiveness in veterans and their spouses strengthen their cohesion and family adjustment. Mehmankhah et al. [41] showed the role of forgiveness in predicting the marital adjustment of veterans' spouses.

It is suggested that this study be performed on a larger sample of veterans' spouses and that the samples be evaluated for a history of mental illness.

The most important limitation of the research was the implementation of research among the samples selected from the Foundation of Martyrs and veterans in Damavand.

Veterans' wives were found with a higher level of self-differentiation than non-veterans' wives. In other words, veterans' wives are more capable than non-veterans' wives of maintaining their individuality and independence in intimate relationships with others, as well as the balance between reason and emotion.

We would like to thank the Vice-Chancellor for Research of the Islamic Azad University, Roodehen Branch, the wives of the veterans who participated in the study, and all who helped us in this research.

None declared.

Confirmation was obtained from the Islamic Azad University, Roodehen Branch.

This research was conducted without financial support and all costs were paid by the authors.

TABLES and CHARTS

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