The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Marital Conflict and Emotional Divorce of Women Facing Divorce

Background: The study focuses on the increasing rates of divorce and the need for effective therapeutic interventions to reduce marital conflict and emotional divorce. The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in reducing marital conflict and em...

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Main Authors: Nahide Naderi Moghaddam, Amir Panah Ali, Ali Naghi Aghdasi, Masoud Hejazi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Shiraz University of Medical Sciences 2023-04-01
Series:Women’s Health Bulletin
Subjects:
Online Access:https://womenshealthbulletin.sums.ac.ir/article_49301_c3c0425502ef7b8264dd29091428e6b7.pdf
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author Nahide Naderi Moghaddam
Amir Panah Ali
Ali Naghi Aghdasi
Masoud Hejazi
author_facet Nahide Naderi Moghaddam
Amir Panah Ali
Ali Naghi Aghdasi
Masoud Hejazi
author_sort Nahide Naderi Moghaddam
collection DOAJ
description Background: The study focuses on the increasing rates of divorce and the need for effective therapeutic interventions to reduce marital conflict and emotional divorce. The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in reducing marital conflict and emotional divorce among women who are facing divorce and seeking services at Zanjan family counseling centers, Zanjan, Iran.Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in the second half of 2021. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit 20 participants from Zanjan family counseling centers, who were randomly allocated into two groups. The treatment group received ten sessions of 60 minutes twice a week (5 weeks) of acceptance and commitment therapy. The Marital Conflict Questionnaire and Emotional Divorce Scale were used as research tools to measure pretest and posttest scores. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance in SPSS version 24 to compare the mean scores for marital conflict and emotional divorce between the treatment and control groups.Results: The findings of the study revealed that acceptance and commitment therapy was effective in reducing both marital conflict and emotional divorce scores in the treatment group compared to the control group. The mean score for marital conflict decreased significantly from 172.50±18.23 to 147.25±15.68 in the treatment group (P<0.001), while the control group showed no significant changes. The mean score for emotional divorce also decreased significantly from 2.35±16 to 1.93±12 in the treatment group (P<0.001), while the control group again showed no significant changes.Conclusion: This research demonstrated that acceptance and commitment therapy is an effective psychotherapy for reducing marital conflict and emotional divorce in women at risk of divorce who referred to family counseling centers. The findings of this study have practical implications for counseling settings.
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spelling doaj.art-8a90c3bc5316447aa3e0de7beb1a39162023-05-30T08:48:23ZengShiraz University of Medical SciencesWomen’s Health Bulletin2345-51362382-99902023-04-0110212213210.30476/whb.2023.97237.120449301The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Marital Conflict and Emotional Divorce of Women Facing DivorceNahide Naderi Moghaddam0Amir Panah Ali1Ali Naghi Aghdasi2Masoud Hejazi3Department of Counseling, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, Tabriz, IranDepartment of Counseling, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, Tabriz, IranDepartment of Counseling, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch, Tabriz, IranDepartment of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan Branch, Zanjan, IranBackground: The study focuses on the increasing rates of divorce and the need for effective therapeutic interventions to reduce marital conflict and emotional divorce. The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in reducing marital conflict and emotional divorce among women who are facing divorce and seeking services at Zanjan family counseling centers, Zanjan, Iran.Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in the second half of 2021. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit 20 participants from Zanjan family counseling centers, who were randomly allocated into two groups. The treatment group received ten sessions of 60 minutes twice a week (5 weeks) of acceptance and commitment therapy. The Marital Conflict Questionnaire and Emotional Divorce Scale were used as research tools to measure pretest and posttest scores. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance in SPSS version 24 to compare the mean scores for marital conflict and emotional divorce between the treatment and control groups.Results: The findings of the study revealed that acceptance and commitment therapy was effective in reducing both marital conflict and emotional divorce scores in the treatment group compared to the control group. The mean score for marital conflict decreased significantly from 172.50±18.23 to 147.25±15.68 in the treatment group (P<0.001), while the control group showed no significant changes. The mean score for emotional divorce also decreased significantly from 2.35±16 to 1.93±12 in the treatment group (P<0.001), while the control group again showed no significant changes.Conclusion: This research demonstrated that acceptance and commitment therapy is an effective psychotherapy for reducing marital conflict and emotional divorce in women at risk of divorce who referred to family counseling centers. The findings of this study have practical implications for counseling settings.https://womenshealthbulletin.sums.ac.ir/article_49301_c3c0425502ef7b8264dd29091428e6b7.pdfacceptance and commitment therapydivorcefamily conflictwomen
spellingShingle Nahide Naderi Moghaddam
Amir Panah Ali
Ali Naghi Aghdasi
Masoud Hejazi
The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Marital Conflict and Emotional Divorce of Women Facing Divorce
Women’s Health Bulletin
acceptance and commitment therapy
divorce
family conflict
women
title The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Marital Conflict and Emotional Divorce of Women Facing Divorce
title_full The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Marital Conflict and Emotional Divorce of Women Facing Divorce
title_fullStr The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Marital Conflict and Emotional Divorce of Women Facing Divorce
title_full_unstemmed The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Marital Conflict and Emotional Divorce of Women Facing Divorce
title_short The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Marital Conflict and Emotional Divorce of Women Facing Divorce
title_sort effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on marital conflict and emotional divorce of women facing divorce
topic acceptance and commitment therapy
divorce
family conflict
women
url https://womenshealthbulletin.sums.ac.ir/article_49301_c3c0425502ef7b8264dd29091428e6b7.pdf
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