The Effects of Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy on Depression Symptoms Reduction and Enhancing Emotional Regulation in Distressed Couples

Studies have shown a strong association between marital distress and depression symptoms and emotional dysregulation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of emotion-focused couple therapy on depression reduction and enhancing emotional regulation in counseling seeking distressed couples in Ahwaz counseling centers. The Randomized Control Clinical Trials (RCTs) with pretest-posttest design was used in this study. Through convenience sampling, 30 couples were selected and randomly assigned to two groups. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation (DERS) were used to gather the data. Couples followed a ten-session weekly treatment. The results of MANOVA showed significant differences between the treatment and control groups.The emotion- focused couple therapy did have an effect on reduction of depression and enhancing emotional regulation in distressed couples. It was also found that this type of therapy which focused on attachment style helped couples to reduce depression symptoms and learn new ways to regulate their emotions.