A Comparison between the Effectiveness of the Combined Couple Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples on the improvement of intimacy and PTSD

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two approaches of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) with Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT) on improving intimacy and reducing Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) caused by extramarital relations (EMR). This was a quasi-experimental research with a control group. The research population included all couples dealing with infidelity, who referred to a counseling center in Mashhad, Iran, during August-September 2018. The subjects were selected through multistage cluster sampling. Twenty - nine couples who were dealing with infidelity at the time of the research were selected and filled the PTSD scale and intimacy survey. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 45 years. Also, the mean duration of relationships was 2 years. Out of these 40 couples, 30 couples who had symptoms of PTSD and had other conditions and willingness to enter present study, were selected through purposeful sampling as the sample of present study and randomly assigned 10 couples in the CCT group (ACT and MBCT), 10 couples in the EFT group and 10 couples were placed in the control group. Of the 30 couples selected, 2 couples (1 couple from the CCT group and 1 couple from the EFT group) resigned after the evaluation session. Finally, 28 couples remained (9 couples in the EFT group and 9 couples in the CCT group and 10 couples in the control group). Besides the PTSD questionnaire, a clinical interview was used to diagnose PTSD. Data analysis was carried out using the analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). According to the results, there was a difference between the effectiveness of CCT and EFT on improved intimacy and reduced PTSD caused by EMR. Based on the results, it can be concluded that CCT is more effective than EFT in improving intimacy and reduced PTSD caused by EMR.