Comparing the Effects of Cognitive- Behavioral Couple Therapy & ACT on Marital Happiness of Dissatisfied Couples

Introduction: MARITAL HAPPINESs is one of the most important factors of marital relationship quality. It shows the degree of couples´ happiness regarding different aspects of their relation.It could be said that, more MARITAL HAPPINESs indicates less marital conflicts and dissatisfaction. Regarding ongoing increasing of marital conflicts and divorce, using effective interventions is necessary for improving the quality of marital relationship.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of cognitive-behavioral couple therapy and ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY on MARITAL HAPPINESs of the couples who are not satisfied with their relationship.Method: The method of this research was single-subject design. The study was carried out based on multiple baselines with an initiation of treatment. Sampling procedure of the study was convenience. Considering inclusion criteria, six couples were randomly assigned in two experimental groups. Independent variables were cognitive-behavioral couple therapy and ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY that were presented in six sessions. The research instrument was MARITAL HAPPINESs Questionnaire.

Results: Based on significant differences between the intervention and baseline situations, the results showed that cognitive-behavioral couple therapy and ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY have increased MARITAL HAPPINESs. Also the results of the Repeated Measures Anova showed that there are no significant differences between the effects of these two therapies on increasing of MARITAL HAPPINESs.

Conclusion: cosidering these results, couple therapists can use the effective interventions of theses two therapeutic methods to increase MARITAL HAPPINESs of couples especially those who have experienced some kind of dissatisfaction in their relations.

Full text: https://www.sid.ir/en/journal/ViewPaper.aspx?id=568467