Effectiveness of Integrative Emotion-Focused Therapy on Marital Commitment of Student Couples, Tehran, Iran

Aim and Background: Marital commitment is an important factor in marital life’s consistency. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of integrative emotion-focused therapy (EFT) on marital commitment of student couples. Methods and Materials: This semi-experimental study was carried out with pre- and post- test design and control group. The statistical population included all student couples in Farhangian University of Tehran, Iran, who referred to the counseling center of the university in 2017, (50 couples, 100 individuals). Of them, 32 couples were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned into two groups of experimental (n = 16 couples) and control (n = 16 couples). Participants in both groups completed Dimensions of Commitment Inventory (DCI). The EFT approach was conducted for experimental group in 10 sessions, each lasting 2 hours. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) via SPSS software. Findings: Using MANCOVA, it was demonstrated that by controlling the effect of pre-test scores, the mean of total score of commitment and its components including personal, moral, and structural parameters in experimental group in post-test was significantly more than that of control group (P < 0.001).

This study showed that regarding the effectiveness of EFT on student couples’ commitment, family counselors and psychotherapists can use this approach to improve couples’ interactions