The Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Marital Satisfaction in Substance Abusers

The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy on marital satisfaction in substance abusers. The sample of this study consisted of 100 substance abusers from the Drug Treatment Methadone Therapy Center (Nikoosalamat) in the city of Ghorveh in 2013. This study is semi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design. A total of 28 participants was selected by the convenience sampling method, and assigned randomly in the experimental and control groups. An experimental group received 13 sessions of behavioral-cognitive psychotherapy, but the control group received no intervention. To collect data, Enrich marital satisfaction scale was used and to analyze the data, covariance analysis was used. The results showed that the mean of marital satisfaction subscales (satisfaction with the spouse's character, level of communication, conflict resolution, satisfaction with leisure time, sex, feelings and interests of relatives and friends) in the post – tests in the experimental group were significantly greater than that the control group. It could be concluded that cognitive-behavioral therapy can increase the level of marital satisfaction of individuals, both during and after leaving the drug.