Impact of Spiritual Resilience Training on Marital Stability and Emotional Endurance

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured spiritual resilience training program on improving marital stability and emotional endurance among married individuals in India. A randomized controlled trial design was employed with 30 married participants randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 15), receiving eight weekly sessions of spiritual resilience training, or a control group (n = 15) with no intervention. The training incorporated psycho-spiritual exercises, forgiveness work, emotional regulation techniques, and shared spiritual rituals. Participants were assessed at pre-test, post-test, and a five-month follow-up using standardized measures of marital stability and emotional endurance. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests with SPSS version 27. Significant improvements were found in the intervention group compared to controls in both marital stability and emotional endurance across time points (all p < .001). The repeated measures ANOVA revealed main effects of time and group, as well as significant time × group interactions, indicating that the spiritual resilience training led to greater gains in the dependent variables that were maintained at the five-month follow-up. Post-hoc tests confirmed significant increases from pre-test to post-test and sustained improvements at follow-up, with non-significant declines between post-test and follow-up. Effect sizes were large, demonstrating the practical significance of the intervention. Spiritual resilience training effectively enhances both the durability of marital relationships and the emotional coping capacities of individuals, with benefits enduring for at least five months post-intervention. Incorporating spiritual and relational dimensions into resilience training offers a promising avenue for marital therapy, particularly in culturally and spiritually oriented populations.