Forgiveness therapy

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of forgiveness therapy on the mental health and marital intimacy of couples seeking divorce in Tehran. Methods: The quasi experimental design was pretest-posttest with a control group. The study's statistical population included all divorce applicants in districts 2 and 5 of Tehran who had been referred to counseling centers for counseling services. By convenience sampling, thirty people were selected from the above population and randomly assigned into two experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The research instruments were Goldberg Mental Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Thompson & Walker Marital Intimacy Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the covariance test. Results: Based on the results of the research on the effectiveness of forgiveness therapy on the mental health, the difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of the amount of mental health in the post-test was confirmed. The research on the effectiveness of forgiveness therapy on marital intimacy was investigated, and the difference between experimental and control groups was confirmed in terms of marital intimacy in the post-test. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be said that forgiveness therapy increased mental health and marital intimacy in people under education. Therefore, family counselors and those involved in marital counseling should use the therapeutic forgiveness training protocol to promote mental health and marital intimacy for couples seeking divorce.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of forgiveness therapy on psychological distress and psychological flexibility in women with marital conflicts. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental, with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population included all women with marital conflicts who referred to health centers in District 3 of Tehran in 2022. The sample consisted of 30 women who scored lower in psychological flexibility and distress tolerance. They were selected through non-random voluntary sampling and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Data were collected using the Distress Tolerance Scale by Simons and Gaher (2005) and the Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire by Dennis and Vander Wal (2010) in both pre-test and post-test stages. The session content was prepared according to the forgiveness therapy model by Enright and Fitzgibbons (2015). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and covariance analysis. Findings: The results of the covariance analysis indicated that the mean scores of psychological distress and psychological flexibility and their components in the experimental group significantly decreased compared to the control group (P = 0.05). Conclusion: Therefore, forgiveness therapy was effective in reducing psychological distress and enhancing psychological flexibility in women with marital conflicts.