marital forgiveness

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the efficacy of acceptance-based therapy in enhancing intimacy and marital forgiveness and reducing marital burnout in women affected by extramarital relationships. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest and follow-up design, including a control group. The population consisted of all women affected by their husband's extramarital relationships who attended specialized family counseling centers in District 6 of Mashhad. From this group, 30 participants were selected through purposive sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected using the Rey et al. (2001) Marital Forgiveness Scale, the Pines (1996) Marital Burnout Scale, and the Thompson and Walker (1983) Marital Intimacy Scale. Participants were then randomly assigned into three experimental groups and one control group, each consisting of 15 individuals. Data analysis was conducted using repeated measures analysis of variance with the Statistical Software Package SPSS-20. Findings: The findings indicated that acceptance and commitment therapy was effective in improving intimacy, marital forgiveness, and reducing marital burnout in women affected by extramarital relationships (P < 0.01). The results were also sustained at the follow-up stage. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that acceptance and commitment therapy was effective in enhancing intimacy, forgiveness, and reducing marital burnout among women impacted by extramarital relationships, and this therapeutic approach can be utilized to address psychological issues in couples affected by extramarital relationships.

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of couple therapy based on the reality therapy approach on marital empathy and marital forgiveness among couples. Methods and Materials: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest control group design including a follow-up phase. The statistical population consisted of all couples who referred to counseling centers in Tehran in 2023. From among the eligible individuals, 30 couples were selected using purposive sampling and were randomly assigned to two groups (15 couples in the experimental group and 15 couples in the control group). Data collection instruments included the Marital Empathy Questionnaire by Joliffe and Farrington (2006) and the Marital Forgiveness Questionnaire by Rye et al. (2001). The intervention group received nine 90-minute in-person group sessions over two months based on the reality therapy approach, while the control group received standard counseling services. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24 and repeated measures ANOVA, adhering to statistical assumptions. Findings: The results indicated significant differences in the mean scores of marital empathy and marital forgiveness between the pretest, posttest, and follow-up phases (P < .01). These effects remained stable during the follow-up phase, indicating that couple therapy based on the reality therapy approach significantly improved marital empathy and marital forgiveness. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, couple therapy using the reality therapy approach can be considered an effective therapeutic method for enhancing marital forgiveness and empathy among couples