Effectiveness of Forgiveness-oriented Group Counseling based on Islamic Perspective to Restore the Marriage Relationship after Marital Infidelity

The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of forgiveness-oriented group counseling based on Islamic perspective to restore the marriage relationship after marital infidelity in married women who referred to counseling centers in Tehran.
This study is a randomized clinical trial. The statistical population of the study consisted of the women who referred to counseling centers of Tehran in 2015 due to their husbands’ infidelity. Thirty women were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. Having conducted the pre-test using the forgiveness questionnaires, the intervention group took part in nine weekly sessions of forgiveness therapy based on the Islamic perspective. Then, the post-test was carried out using the same questionnaire for both groups. The data were analyzed in SPSS 18 software using analysis of covariance.
Ethical Considerations: After presenting the research objectives, emphasizing the confidentiality of the information and obtaining patient's verbal consent to participate in the study, the questionnaires were distributed among the participants to be completed.
Findings: The mean ages of the participants in the intervention and control groups were 33.41 and 35.32, respectively and the mean durations of their marriages were 9.11 and 10.33 years, respectively. There is no significant difference in demographic characteristics between two groups (P>0.05). The pre-test and post-test mean scores for forgiveness in the intervention group were 18.33 and 34.33, respectively. Forgiveness-oriented group consulting based on Islamic perspective had a significant effect on increasing women's willingness to forgive (P The findings signified using forgiveness-oriented group counseling based on the Islamic perspective in planning therapeutic interventions.