Comparison of the Efficacy of the Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy and Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy on the Communication Beliefs among Maladjustment Couples

With the growing complexity of marriage and family, there is abundant literature on marital relationships and marital adjustment and an emerging understanding of how marriage might influence health and well-being. The understanding marital relationship is also very timely, given the changes the institution of marriage has been witnessing over the last several decades. The link between “better” or “worse” marriages and “sickness and health” has been a subject of much researcher interest over the last half-century. Being married contributes to concordance in health behaviors over time between spouses. Moreover, the marital adjustment may also buffer against the impact of non-marital stressors on health behaviors and increase personal resources (i.e., self-efficacy, self-regulatory capacity) needed for initiating and maintaining health behavior change. The marital strain may add or interact with non-marital stressors leading to increased use of health-compromising behaviors to cope with such stressors and decreasing personal resources that could be used during change attempts. Marital adjustment, which refers to affective and cognitive states along with the related actions that are precedent to terminating a relationship, is a crucial indicator of well-being. Several studies have shown that separated and divorced couples experience more significant risk for mental and physical health problems, as well as can have strong negative consequences for their children, such as impacting their children’s mental health, academic and social performance. Since marriage maladjustment is detrimental to the family unit and society, the importance of identifying the factors that promote marital adjustment is overwhelmingly apparent. Meanwhile, the role of the family and the way their members communicate with each other in shaping the quality of marital life is very important. The beliefs and cognitions that exist in the minds of individuals, such as couples, affect their communication. Understanding these beliefs and their influence on couples, family functioning, marital adjustment and the continuity of this relationship cannot be ignored. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of the integrative behavioral couple therapy and couple rational- emotive- behavior therapy on communication beliefs among maladjustment couples.

This study method was a semi-experimental study with pre-test, post-test, and control group. The statistical population of this study was all couples with marital complaints referred to Ilam counselling and psychology centres in 2017. Among them, 30 couples were selected through the available sampling method and accidentally homogenized in three groups. Relationship Belief Inventory by Eidelson & Epstein (1982) for pre-test and post-test. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance, Bonferroni follows up test and SPSS software and 0.05 probability values.

The results of this study showed that Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy was effective on post-test scores of disagreement is destructive belief (20.10±2.58, p=0.001), mindreading is expected belief (22.50±4.12, p=0.001), partners cannot change belief (22.50±4.12, p=0.001), sexual perfectionism belief (22.40±3.72, p=0.001) and sexes are different belief (22.00±3.43, p=0.001). Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy was effective on post-test scores of disagreement is destructive belief (19.45±2.23, p=0.001), mindreading is expected belief (23.40±3.16, p=0.002), partners cannot change belief (23.75±3.41, p=0.003), sexual perfectionism belief (22.00±3.15, p=0.001) and sexes are a different belief (22.30±3.71, p=0.001).

The purpose of psychotherapy is to make desirable changes in the system of individual beliefs. Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy is characterized by commonly accepted approaches to cognition and behavior, which emphasizes thinking, judging, deciding, analyzing and practicing. Another method used for couple treatment is Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy. The goal of Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy is emotional acceptance through the release of vulnerable emotions that enhance empathy and change behavior. Based on the findings of this research couple therapists and counsellors can increase marital adjustment of the couple by training correct relational beliefs via integrative behavioral couple therapy and rational- emotive behavior therapy.