The Effectiveness of Dattilio Cognitive Couple Therapy on Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions in Conflicting Couples in Mashhad

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Dattilio cognitive couple therapy on interpersonal cognitive distortions in conflicting couples in Mashhad. This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2017 and the participants included all conflicting couples  admitted to Psychology Faculty Clinic of Ferdowsi University; also, among them  28 subjects (14 couples) were randomly selected, using convenient sampling method. They were randomly divided into two groups, including  experimental  (7 couples) and control groups (7 couples). The couples in the experimental group received Dattilio Cognitive Couple Therapy for 10 sessions, each  lasting  90 minutes. The sessions were held individually in the presence of the couples. During this period, the control group did not receive any treatment. The research tools included interpersonal cognitive distortion scale (ICDS) and marital conflict inventory (CCI), implemented in pretest and posttest stages. Data were analyzed using single-variable analysis of covariance and Chi-square; the data were analyzed using  SPSS- 22 The research results revealed that interpersonal cognitive distortions as well as marital conflicts decreased significantly in the experimental group compared to those in the control group in the posttest. (P>0.05) Thus, it can be concluded that Dattilio Cognitive Couple Therapy is effective in reducing interpersonal cognitive distortions and marital conflicts of conflicting couples.