A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Defusion Technique in Improving Marital Satisfaction

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. student, Department of Psychology, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran

2 Associate Professoe, Department of Psychology, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in comparison with the cognitive defusion technique in improving marital satisfaction. Methods: The present research was experimental and had a pretest-posttest design and follow-up with a control group. Among the statistical population consisting of married clients of counseling centers in Tehran, 45 individuals were selected as the samples using the convenience method and were randomly assigned to three groups, namely the experimental group of acceptance and commitment therapy (n=15), the experimental group of cognitive defusion technique (n=15), and the control group (n=15). The research tool included Enrich marital satisfaction questionnaire (1989). The acceptance and commitment therapy and cognitive defusion technique were performed by Hayes treatment package (2011) for experimental groups for twelve sessions, but the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed using the repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results: The intervention of acceptance and commitment therapy (F=5.16, P=0.025) and cognitive defusion technique (F=4.28, P=0.048) was effective in improving marital satisfaction. The effect was also stable in the follow-up phase.  Conclusions: Therefore, acceptance and commitment therapy can be utilized to improve marital life, and the cognitive defusion technique was more effective. The cognitive defusion technique was effective in marital satisfaction because married people could see their thoughts separately and know that they were separate from their thoughts and could change them.

Keywords

References

پیرمرادی، مجید. (1395). بررسی تأثیر آموزش مهارت های ارتباط زناشویی بر رضایت زناشویی. پایان نامه ارشد. تهران، دانشگاه الزهرا.
رجبی، غلام رضا.، ایمانی، مهدی.، خجسته مهر، رضا.، بیرامی، منصور.، و بشلیده، کیومرث. (1394). بررسی کارایی درمان مبتنی بر پذیرش و تعهد و زوج درمانی رفتاری یکپارچه گر به نگرانی و سازگاری زناشیویی، زن های دارای آشفتگی زناشویی و اخیتلال اضیطراب فراگییر. مجله تحقیقات علاوم رفتاری، 66(1): 55-72
عامری، فریده. (1381). بررسی تأثیر مداخلات خانواده ‌‌درمانی راهبردی در اختلافات زناشویی. پایان ‌‌نامة دکتری روانشناسی، دانشگاه تربیت مدرس.
فلاحتی، مریم.، شفیع آبادی، عبدالله.، جاجرمی، محمود.، و محمدی پور، محمد. (1398). اثربخشی درمان مبتنی بر پذیرش و تعهد و معنا درمانی بر رضایت زناشویی همسران جانبازان. طب جانباز. ۱۱ (۳): ۱۳۹ – ۱۴۵.
محمدزاده ابراهیمی، علی.، جمهری، فرهاد.، و برجعلی، احمد. (1391). رابطه بین پنج عامل بزرگ شخصیتی روان آزرده خویی، برون‌گرایی، سازگاری، پذیرا بودن به تجارب و مسئولیت‌پذیری با رضایتمندی زناشویی. فصلنامه روان‌شناسی تربیتی، 3 (9): 168- 188.
محمدی، الهام.، کشاورزی ارشدی، فرناز.، فرزاد، ولی الله.، و صالحی، مهدیه. (1396). اثربخشی درمان مبتنی بر پذیرش و تعهد بر رضایت زناشویی زنان افسرده. دانش و پژوهش در روان‌شناسی کاربردی، 17 (2): 26 - 35.
References
Abe, S., & Oshio, A. (2018). Does marital duration moderate (dis) similarity effects of personality on marital satisfaction?. Sage Open, 8(2), 2158244018784985.‏
Decimo, F. (2020). Copious relationships: transnational marriages and intimacy among Moroccan couples in Italy. Journal of Family Studies, 1-17.‏
Hanson, T. A., & Olson, P. M. (2018). Financial literacy and family communication patterns. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, 19, 64-71.‏
Haryono, A. (2018). Communication patterns among kiais of Nahdlatul Ulama in the Madurese ethnic group. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 7(3), 714-726.‏
Hayes, S. C. (2011). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change. Guilford Press.‏
He, Q., Wang, Y., Xing, Y., & Yu, Y. (2018). Dark personality, interpersonal rejection, and marital stability of Chinese couples: An actor–partner interdependence mediation model. Personality and Individual Differences, 134, 232-238.‏
Hill, C., & Blunn, L. (2018). Personality and work-home interaction among dual-earner couples in South Africa: Testing an actor-partner interdependence model. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 28(6), 435-443.‏
Isma, M. N. P., & Turnip, S. S. (2019). Personality traits and marital satisfaction in predicting couples’ attitudes toward infidelity. Journal of Relationships Research, 10.‏
Khurana, K., & Joshi, A. (2017). Marital satisfaction and spiritual personality: A Relational Overview. Global Journal of Enterprise Information System, 9(1), 29-35.‏
Lee, K., & Martin, P. (2019). Who gives and receives more? Older couples' personality and spousal support. Personal Relationships, 26(3), 429-447.‏
Lee, S., Balkin, R. S., & Fernandez, M. A. (2017). Asian intercultural marriage couples in the united states: A study in acculturation and personality traits. The Family Journal, 25(2), 164-169.‏
Luk, B. H., & Loke, A. Y. (2019). Sexual satisfaction, intimacy and relationship of couples undergoing infertility treatment. Journal of reproductive and infant psychology, 37(2), 108-122.‏
Metzl, E. (2020). Art therapy with couples: integrating art therapy practices with sex therapy and emotionally focused therapy. International Journal of Art Therapy, 25(3), 143-149.‏
O’Meara, M. S., & South, S. C. (2019). Big Five personality domains and relationship satisfaction: Direct effects and correlated change over time. Journal of personality, 87(6), 1206-1220.‏
Oosterhouse, K., Riggs, S. A., Kaminski, P., & Blumenthal, H. (2020). The executive subsystem in middle childhood: Adult mental health, marital satisfaction, and secure‐base parenting. Family Relations, 69(1), 166-179.‏
Papp, L. M. (2018). Topics of marital conflict in the everyday lives of empty nest couples and their implications for conflict resolution. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 17(1), 7-24.‏
Peng, R. Z., & Wu, W. P. (2019). Measuring communication patterns and intercultural transformation of international students in cross-cultural adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 70, 78-88.‏
Peres, R., Talwar, S., Alter, L., Elhanan, M., & Friedmann, Y. (2020). Narrowband Influencers and Global Icons: Universality and Media Compatibility in the Communication Patterns of Political Leaders Worldwide. Journal of International Marketing, 28(1), 48-65.‏
Samak, Y. A. A., El-Keshky, M. E. S., & Khusaifan, S. J. (2016). Given the Demographics of Emotional Divorce of Spouses¨ C How to Minimize It, Using Structural Equation Modeling: A Case Study in Egypt. International Journal of Social Work, 3(2), 49-70.‏
Sandberg, L. J. (2020). Too late for love? Sexuality and intimacy in heterosexual couples living with an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 1-22.‏
Šifrar, T., Majoranc, K., & Kajtna, T. (2020). Matching of Personality Traits, Emotional Intelligence and Social Skills among Dance Partners in Competitive Dancing. Kinesiology, 52(2), 242-249.‏
Weidmann, R., Ledermann, T., & Grob, A. (2017). The interdependence of personality and satisfaction in couples. European Psychologist.‏
Williamson, H. C., & Lavner, J. A. (2020). Trajectories of marital satisfaction in diverse newlywed couples. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(5), 597-604.‏
Yu, Y., Wu, D., Wang, J. M., & Wang, Y. C. (2020). Dark personality, marital quality, and marital instability of Chinese couples: An actor-partner interdependence mediation model. Personality and Individual Differences, 154, 109689.
Journal of Applied Family Therapy
Volume 2, Issue 4 - Serial Number 8
December 2022
Pages 351-368

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 29 September 2021
  • Revise Date: 03 November 2021
  • Accept Date: 24 December 2021

Share

How to cite

Statistics