Comparing the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on marriage regret of couples referring to divorce counseling centers

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on marriage regret of couples referring to divorce counseling centers in Gonbad Kavus city. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test with a control group and a two-month follow-up design. The research population was all couples who were referred to divorce counseling centers in Gonbadkavos city in 2021, numbering 716. The sample was 45 couples who were selected by the available sampling method and were randomly divided into two experimental groups (15 couples) and an experimental group (15 couples). The experimental groups were exposed to training for 8 sessions of 90 minutes of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). The research tool was Regretting the Spouse Choice Scale (RCSC) by Schwartz et al. (2002). The data were analyzed by variance analysis and Bonferroni post hoc test. The results showed that compassion-focused therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy are effective on marriage regret in couples referring to counseling centers in Gonbad Kavus city and this effectiveness continues to follow stage  (P<0.01). There was a significant difference between the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on regretting marriage and compassion-focused therapy had more effect on it (P<0.01). So, It could use compassion-focused therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for regretting marriage but, compassion-focused therapy is referred.