Ghahari S, Jamil L, Farrokhi N, Davoodi R. Comparing the Effects of Emotion-focused Couple Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Marital Conflict and Emotion Regulation. PCP 2021; 9 (2) :121-132
URL:
http://jpcp.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-761-en.html
1- Department of Mental Health, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Institute of Psychiatry), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
2- Department of Clinical Psychology, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. , l.jamil@ajaums.ac.ir
3- Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Psychology, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran.
4- Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Psychology, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran.
Abstract: (3945 Views)
Objective: Marital conflict can be described as the state of tension or stress between couples. Accordingly, couples who are unable to regulate their negative emotions experience fragile relationships. This study aimed to compare the effects of Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Cognitive Emotion Regulation (CER) strategies and marital conflict.
Methods: The study sample included 28 married women who were randomly assigned to the EFCT and ACT groups. The questionnaire battery included the Questionnaire of Marital Conflicts, the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and the Second Edition of the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) (SCID-II).
Results: The result of the Independent Samples t-test indicated no difference in pretest scores of the study participants. However, significant differences were determined between the study groups in the posttest phase (P<0.001). Additionally, the Paired Samples t-test results revealed significant differences between pretest and posttest scores between the EFCT (P<0.001) and ACT (P<0.028 for marital conflict, P<0.001 for adaptive CER strategies, & P<0.031 for non-adaptive CER strategies) groups. Moreover, EFCT was clinically more effective than ACT. Accordingly, the effect size of EFCT and ACT for marital conflict was measured as 2.33 and 0.83; respecting adaptive and non-adaptive CER strategies, these values were computed as 2.89 and 2.02 as well as 2.89 and 0.88, respectively.
Conclusion: Overall, EFCT and ACTT were effective in improving marital conflict and CER strategies. Besides, EFCT was clinically more effective than ACT in this regard.
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• Marital conflict is among the most stressful situations individuals encounter.
• Emotion regulation plays a critical role in interpersonal outcomes, such as couples’ relationship quality and conflict management.
• EFCT and ACTT are effective in improving marital conflict and cognitive emotion regulation strategies. Besides, EFCT is clinically more effective than ACT in this respect.
Plain Language Summary
The issue of conflicts in married life is natural and profoundly prevalent in couples. Almost all couples who marry state a high level of marital satisfaction at the beginning. Marital conflict is a critical risk factor for biopsychological problems. Fortunately, recent research determined that emotion regulation plays a central role in couples’ relationship quality. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of two common treatment methods on emotion regulation strategies and marital conflict, namely Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The collected results suggested that both treatment approaches were effective in improving marital conflict and emotion regulation strategies in couples; however, EFCT was clinically more effective than ACT in this area.
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
Family and group therapy Received: 2020/10/12 | Accepted: 2021/01/25 | Published: 2021/04/1