Comparison of the Effectiveness of Group Therapy based on Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Techniques (ACT) on Forgiveness, Emotional Regulation and Marital Intimacy

Abstract

Background and Aim: Regarding the importance of improving the mental health of women injured by spouse's betrayal, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of group therapy based on acceptance and commitment (ACT) and mindfulness techniques on forgiving, emotional regulation and marital intimacy in women injured with Infidelity. Materials and Methods: The statistical population of this quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design were women who injured with Infidelity referring to counseling centers of District 6 of Tehran, Iran in 2017. Among them, the women who were willing to participate in the study were selected in convenience and then randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 persons in each group). The research tools were Rye’s Forgiveness Questionnaire (1998), Gross & John's Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (2003) and Thompson & Walker's Intimacy Inventory (1983). Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS 23. Findings: Forgiveness, emotion regulation and intimacy in married women suffering from extramarital relationships, after intervention, in both groups based on mind-awareness and group therapy based on acceptance and commitment, had a positive and significant increase in comparison with control group (P>0/01). Although these variables had not significant different between the two treatment groups after the intervention (P>0.05). Conclusion: In order to improving the mental health of the women injured by infidelity, it is recommended to family counselors and therapists to train the skills of forgiveness, emotion regulation and intimacy to their clients. Please cite this article as: Ghasedi M, Bagheri F, Kiamanesh A. Comparison of the Effectiveness of Group Therapy based on Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Techniques (ACT) on Forgiveness, Emotional Regulation and Marital Intimacy. Bioethics Journal 2018; 8(29): 87-98.