Comparison of the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral couple therapy and emotionally focused couple therapy on couple burnout of couples with emotional divorce

Considering the value of the family institution, special attention should be paid to the problems of couples. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral couple therapy (CBCT) and emotionally focused couple therapy (EFCT) on couple burnout of couples with emotional divorce.

The method of this study was semi-experimental with pre-test- post-test with the control group. The statistical population was couples who referred to Tabriz Counseling Centers in 2022. Totally, 54 people were selected by the purposeful sampling method and randomly divided into three groups (9 couples in each group). Members of both experimental groups received their treatment, respectively, in 8 and 10 sessions of 1.5 hours; however the control group did not receive any treatment. The measurement tools were Pines's couple burnout and Gottman's emotional divorce questionnaires. Data were analyzed by analysis of covariance and bonferroni's post hoc test.

In the pre-test, the means and standard deviations of the couple burnout were 108.44±10.68, 108.11±12.18, and 108.39±8.08, among CBCT group, EFCT group and control group, respectively (p>0.05). Both treatments reduced couple burnout in couples after the test, compared to the control group (p<0.001). The effect of these two treatments on reduced couple burnout at posttest was not significantly different (p>0.05).

It seems that cognitive-behavioral couple therapy and emotion-oriented couple therapy can decrease the couple burnout of couples; so they can probably be a useful therapeutic strategy for improving couples' relationships.