Comparison of the effectiveness of eclectic and integrated behavioral couple therapy based on acceptance and commitment schema on Tolerance of failure marital satisfaction of women with multiple

Multiple sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by chronic demyelination that adversely affects various aspects of a patient’s life. Although mental health and marital satisfaction are major indicators of favorable prognosis in progressive neurological disorders such as MS, few psychological interventions have so far been performed in this respect. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two approaches of couple eclectic behavioral therapy and combined treatment of schema-based on acceptance and commitment on Tolerance of failure and marital satisfaction in women with multiple sclerosis.

This pilot randomized trial was carried out. A total of 42 female MS patients along with their husbands were selected using purposive sampling. The participants were assigned to two intervention groups and one control group using randomized block design. Those in the intervention group A and B received 10 weekly sessions of IBCT and ACST, respectively, while members of the control group were placed on a waiting list. The participants completed the Failure tolerance test and Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale during the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. Data were analyzed using repeated measures of two-way measurements.

The preliminary results indicated that the two interventions significantly improved the patients’ marital satisfaction levels in both post-test and follow-up stages (all p-values < 0.05). The secondary results showed no significant difference between the effectiveness of the two treatment methods in improving Failure tolerance and marital satisfaction levels (p-value > 0.05).

The findings confirmed the research background on the positive effects of psychological interventions on MS patients’ lives. Using these findings, researchers can design effective clinical interventions for patients with neurodegenerative disorders.