Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Iran.

2 : Master of Psychology, Islamic Azad University of Bandar-e-Gaz, Golestan, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction
Domestic violence is a serious issue that can occur in any intimate or family relationship. The most common type of domestic violence is spousal abuse or husband violence against women. Spousal abuse can take many forms such as physical, sexual, emotional, or financial violence, and it can occur at any time and in any place. Based on various studies on the effectiveness of mindfulness and acceptance and commitment-based therapies in reducing depressive symptoms and chronic pain, the question arises as to which of the two methods is more effective, and whether the combination of these two treatments could be more effective. However, it is not yet clear whether one therapy is more effective than the other, or whether a combination of both therapies is more effective in reducing depression and chronic pain in abused women.
 
Method
A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group was used in this study. The statistical population of the study consisted of all women who were abused by their spouse and had a file in the Welfare Office. One group received acceptance and commitment-based therapy, another received mindfulness-based therapy, and the third group was the control group. All three groups completed pre-tests and post-tests using the Depression Inventory and the Chronic Pain Questionnaire, with the experimental groups receiving 8 sessions of 60 minutes each. The inclusion criteria included married women aged between 25 and 35 years, with a minimum diploma education, a score higher than the cut line (18) in the depression list, and victims of physical violence by their spouse at medical diagnosis. The exclusion criteria included reluctance to participate in the investigation and absence for more than two sessions. The research data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance and comparison of means using SPSS software version 24.
 
Results
The results showed that both therapeutic approaches significantly reduced depression and chronic pain in abused women (p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two intervention methods in reducing depression and chronic pain.
 
Conclusion
The findings of the study suggest that acceptance-based therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy are effective in reducing depression and chronic pain in women who have experienced spousal abuse. There was no significant difference between the effectiveness of the two therapies in reducing depression and chronic pain. The study highlights the importance of providing access to effective therapies for women who have experienced spousal abuse.

Keywords

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