Enhancing Empathic Functioning in Married Individuals Experiencing Marital Conflict Through Mentalization‐Based Therapy in Iran

ABSTRACT

Empathy impairment may contribute to the persistence of marital conflict. Although mentalization is theoretically relevant to understanding mental states and interpersonal functioning, limited research has examined whether Mentalization‐Based Therapy (MBT) is associated with changes in empathy among married individuals experiencing marital conflict. This study examined the effect of MBT on self‐reported empathy using a pretest–posttest control‐group design. Thirty married individuals experiencing marital conflict were randomly allocated to an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group received 12 weekly 45‐min MBT sessions. Empathy was assessed using the 28‐item Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and analyzed using analysis of covariance. After controlling for pretest empathy, the experimental group showed significantly higher posttest empathy than the control group, F (1, 27) = 12.643, p = 0.001, partial η ² = 0.319. The findings provide preliminary evidence that participation in MBT may be associated with improved self‐reported empathy in this population.