Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• Maryam Moshtaghi ¹
• Mohammad Javad Asghari Ebrahimabad ²
• Mohammad Reza Saffarian Toosi ³
• Hamid Nejat ³

¹ Ph.D Candidate of Counseling, Department of Counseling, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University. Mashhad, Iran

² Department of psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Counseling, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

The family is the main institution of a society and the relations of its members, especially couples, are of special importance. A good relationship between couples will bring more satisfaction fewer conflicts and a higher quality of married life (Hoseini Beheshtian & Attar, 2020). Various factors, including the lack of internal cohesion, affect the spouses' relationship and cause much damage to the family (Akbari et al. 2022). The sense of coherence helps manage marital conflicts and improves the marital relationship (Oei et al. 2021). Another factor that can affect couples' relationships is self-control. There is evidence that high levels of self-control are associated with constructive interpersonal behaviors that improve relationship quality and reduce conflict (Cheung et al. 2022).
One treatment approach is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which has been evaluated in more than 900 randomized trials (Hayes, 2022). In Iran, few studies conducted on the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on the sense of coherence (Derakhshanjan et al. 2023; Rostami et al. 2023), and self-control (Babakhani, 2020). Also, Solution-Oriented Therapy is another psychological therapy that emphasizes the capabilities and abilities of people to create solutions (Ayar & Sabancioğullari, 2022) Few studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of solution therapy conducted in terms of the sense of coherence (Pourdel et al. 2021; Ismakhani Akbarinejad & Ebrahimi Sadr, 2022), and self-control (Mir Hashemi & Najafi, 2014).
Also, it should be noted that there has been no research on the effectiveness and comparison of acceptance and commitment-based therapy and solution-oriented therapy, specifically on self-control and internal cohesion in the subject of women with marital conflict. Considering the negative consequences of conflicts on the individual lives of couples and their children, the necessity of dealing with treatments that target marital conflicts is felt. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of group therapy based on acceptance and commitment and solution-oriented therapy on the self-control and internal cohesion of women with marital conflicts.
Method:
The present study was a semi-experimental method and a pre-test-post-test-one-month follow-up design was used with the control group. The statistical population of this research included women with marital conflict referring to Ravan Plus Clinic in Mashhad in 2023. Among them, 45 women were selected purposefully and voluntarily and then randomly assigned into two experimental groups and one control group (15 subjects per group). To collect the data, the Internal Coherence Questionnaire (ICQ), Self-Control Tangney Questionnaire (SCQ), and Marital Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ). After explanations were given to the participants about the conditions of the research and the objectives of the study, the first group received the solution-focused therapy the second group received acceptance and commitment-based therapy (ACT), and the third group as a control group received no treatment during this time. Each group meeting was held once a week for 90 minutes in two months. Questionnaires were completed in three phases: pre-test, post-test, and one-month follow-up by three groups. To analyze the data, repeated measures analysis was used.
Results:
Findings showed that Acceptance and commitment therapy and Solution-focused (brief) therapy were effective as compared with the control group in terms of self-control and internal cohesion (P<0.001). The results also showed that there was no significant difference between the two experimental groups in terms of self-control and internal cohesion (P>0.05).
Discussion:
In sum, Acceptance and commitment therapy and Solution-focused (brief) therapy were effective in increasing the internal coherence and self-control of women with marital conflicts. It is suggested that future researches be conducted on couples to investigate the effectiveness of treatment on men as well. To increase the generalizability of the results, it is suggested that this research be carried out in different populations (divorced women, etc.).

Keywords

• Acceptance and commitment therapy
• internal coherence
• marital conflicts
• self-control
• Solution-focused therapy

Main Subjects

• Family Psychology