The Effectiveness of Combined Couple Therapy based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Schema Therapy on Cognitive Flexibility and Cognitive Emotion-Regulation in Couples Seeking Divorce

Somayeh  Mohammadi Tileh Noii; Mohammad Ali Rahmani; Shohreh  Ghorban Shirudi

doi:10.18502/qjcr.v21i81.9498

Somayeh Mohammadi Tileh Noii Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon Unit, Tonekabon, Iran.
Mohammad Ali Rahmani Departeman of Educational Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon Unit, Tonekabon, Iran
Shohreh Ghorban Shirudi Departeman of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon Unit, Tonekabon, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/qjcr.v21i81.9498

Keywords: Integrated couple therapy based on acceptance, commitment-schema, Acceptance and Action, Values, divorce.

Abstract

Aim: The occurrence of marital disputes seriously damages the psychological and emotional components. The present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of couples therapy based on acceptance and commitment and schema-therapy on flexibility, cognitive emotion-regulation in couples seeking divorce. Methods: It was a quasi-experimental design (pre-test-post-test with control group). The statistical population included all couples applying for divorce who were referred by the Behshahr justice system to the counseling centers as part of the divorce reduction program in the second half of 1398. In this clinical trial, 32 people (16 couples seeking divorce) were selected through convenient sampling method and randomly divided into two groups of 16 people. The experimental group was trained in integrated couple therapy protocol based on acceptance, commitment and schema therapy (Liu and McKee, 2012) in fourteen 90-minute sessions as a group. Research tools included the Dennis and Vanderwall Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire (2010) and the Cognitive Emotion Cognitive Regulation Questionnaire (2001). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance. Findings: The results showed that combined couple therapy based on acceptance and commitment and schema-therapy is effective in improving cognitive flexibility, and cognitive emotion-regulation in couples seeking divorce in the post-test phase (P <0.05). Also, combined couple therapy based on acceptance and commitment and schema therapy is effective in improving the components of avoiding emotional experiences, life control, adaptive strategy and unadaptive strategy of couples seeking divorce (P<0.05). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, it is possible to increase cognitive flexibility and cognitive emotion-regulation in couples seeking divorce through integrated group ACT-based couple therapy and schema-therapy.