Comparing the Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy with Positive Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Self-understanding and Wife's Understanding View among Married Women Referred to Counseling Centers: APilot Study

A perceptual perspective is one of the factors related to the normal functioning of family members, especially couples. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of emotion-oriented and positive cognitive-behavioral therapies on self-perception and spouse-perception among married women referring to counseling centers in Tehran.

This experimental study was of a pre-test-post-test design with a control and follow-up group. Participants included 45 married women who had been referred to the counseling centers of the Cultural-Artistic Organization of Tehran Municipality in 2017-2018 in order to solve their marital problems, who were selected by random sampling method and randomly divided into three groups, including two experimental groups and one control group. Data were collected via the self-perception scale and spouse-scale perception scale. Theexperimental groups underwent nine sessions of emotion-focused therapy, and eight sessions of positive cognitive-behavioral therapy, while no intervention was done for the control group. The pre-test was performed before the sessions began. At the end of the sessions, the post-test was performed, and after three months after the post-test period, a follow-up was performed. Data analysis was performed using analysis of variance and analysis of covariance using SPSS software version 25.

In the emotion-oriented treatment group, the mean (SD) score of comprehension perspective increased from 14.2 (1.4) in the pre-test to 22.1 (1.1) in the post-test, and 24.1 (1.2) in the follow-up period, P<0.001. In the positive cognitive-behavioral therapy group, themean (SD) score of comprehension perspective increased from 15.2 (0.1) in the pre-test to 25.5 (0.2) in the post-test, and 27.4 (1.9) in the follow-up, P<0.001. In the emotion-focused treatment group, the mean (SD) of the spouse's comprehension perspective increased from 13.9 (1.1) in the pre-test to 21.8 (0.1) in the post-test, and 24.1 (1.2) in the follow-up, P<0.001. In the positive cognitive-behavioral therapy group, the mean (SD) score of the spouse's comprehension perspective increased from 14.4 (0.7) in the pre-test to 25.2 (2.1) in the post-test, and 27.4 (1.1) in the follow-up, P<0.001. In the control group, the scores of both variables in the pre-test, post-test and follow-up were not different. Positive cognitive-behavioral therapy was more effective than emotion-focused therapy in improving self-understanding (cognition and strategy) and spouse's understanding of vision (cognition and strategy) in post-test and this effectiveness lasted until follow-up.

Emotion-oriented therapy and positive cognitive-behavioral therapy led to increased empathy and understanding among married women. Positive cognitive-behavioral therapy was more effective than emotion-focused therapy in improving self-understanding, and spouse's understanding of vision in post-test and this effectiveness lasted until follow-up.