Clinical Trial of Distressed Couples: A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Attachment-Narrative Therapy and Unified Trans diagnostic on Sense of Coherence in Distressed Couples

This study aimed at comparing of the effectiveness of attachment-narrative therapy and unified transdiagnostic therapy on sense of coherence in distressed couples. The statistical population consisted of couples visiting the Counseling Center of Education Department of Khorramabad, Iran. Non-random sampling was used to select samples from 6 distressed couples using Snyder's Marital Distress Questionnaire (1997). A single-subject design with non-concurrent multiple baselines was used. Attachment-narrative therapy and transdiagnostic protocols were used in 2-4 baseline stages, with fourteen and twelve 60- and 90-minute intervention sessions, respectively, with a 2-month follow-up. Subjects completed Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Scale (1987). Data were analyzed using visual inspection, reliable change index (RCI), and the percent change formula. In the attachment-narrative group, the percent change for sense of coherence was 44.36% and 48.20% in the post-treatment and follow-up stages, respectively, and in the unified transdiagnostic group in the post-treatment and follow-up stages was 54.87% and 61.46%, respectively. According to the findings, both unified transdiagnostic couple therapy and attachment-narrative couple therapy were effective in increasing the sense of coherence. Unified transdiagnostic couple therapy proved to be more effective and persisted during the follow-up stage.