Author/Authors :
Heidari, Zahra Department of Counseling - Islamic Azad University Abhar branch, Abhar, Iran , Ghamari, Mohammad Department of Counseling - Islamic Azad University Abhar branch, Abhar, Iran , Jafari, Alireza Department of Counseling - Islamic Azad University Abhar branch, Abhar, Iran , Armani Kian, Alireza Department of Psychiatry - Beheshti Hospital - Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
Abstract :
Background: Some scientists consider emotional divorce as the first
step in the divorce process, which means that the marital relationship
is declining. Research shows the harmful physical and psychological
effects of emotional divorce on couples. The present research was
carried out to show the effectiveness of Integrative Behavioral Couple
Therapy (IBCT) on emotional divorce among couples.
Methods: This was a quasi-experimental design study with a control
group, including a pre-test, post-test and a 45-day follow up. The
statistical population of this study was all couples referred to the family
therapy clinic of Shahid Beheshti Psychiatric Hospital in Zanjan in
2020. Twenty couples were selected based on a score of eight or higher
in a 24-item two-choice questionnaire on emotional divorce which
was developed by Guttman in 1998. Next, participants were randomly
divided into two groups of experimental and control. The experimental
group received 11 weekly sessions of IBCT and each intervention
session lasted for 120 minutes and the control group did not receive
any intervention. Repeated measures ANOVA was used and data were
analyzed by SPSS software V18.
Results: The results of ANOVA showed that there was a significant
difference between the control and experimental groups in the pre-test,
post-test and follow-up (p<0.001). Therefore, it can be concluded that
IBCT has reduced the emotional divorce of couples in the experimental
group.
Conclusion: Results suggest that IBCT can be used as a treatment of
choice for reduction of emotional divorce.
