Comparison of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy and acceptance-commitment therapy 
on the fear of negative evaluation and anxiety in
 couples referring to counseling 
centers in Ilam, Iran

Background: The assessment of young coupleschr('39') marital relationship has received considerable attention in recent years. The present study aimed to make a comparison between the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the enhancement of marital satisfaction and sexual intimacy in couples referred to counseling centers in Khorramabad. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental was conducted based on a pre-posttest design with a control group. For the purpose of the study, a total of 60 couples were selected using volunteer sampling out of the entire couples who referred to counseling centers in Khorramabad due to marital disorders in 2018. The couples were randomly assigned to three groups of 20, namely ACT, CBT, and the control group. The data collection tools included the ENRICH marital satisfaction inventory and Battalion sexual intimacy scale. Before the commencement of the intervention (presenting the independent variable), the three groups were provided with the two questionnaires (pre-test). Thereafter, the experimental group received eight two-hour sessions of ACT and eight two-hour sessions of CBT. On the other hand, the control group did not receive any training. Upon the completion of the training sessions, marital satisfaction and sexual intimacy were assessed in the three groups (post-test). Data were analyzed in SPSS software(version 22) using the multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: The obtained results were indicative of the significant effect of both treatments on the enhancement of marital satisfaction (P<0.001) and sexual intimacy (P<0.001) in couples. Moreover, it was found that CBT exerted a more profound effect on marital satisfaction and sexual intimacy, compared to ACT. Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, it can be concluded that both CBT and ACT were effective in the promotion of marital satisfaction and sexual intimacy in couples. Nonetheless, CBT demonstrated more dramatic effects, compared to ACT.

Download Full-text

Comparison of Group and Individual Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Reducing Fear of Negative Evaluation

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/02.21.pr0.108.3.955-962 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 108 (3) ◽

pp. 955-962 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Ebrahim Rezaei Dogaheh ◽

Parvaneh Mohammadkhani ◽

Behrooz Dolatshahi

Keyword(s):

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Social Anxiety ◽

Group Therapy ◽

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Social Anxiety Disorder ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Negative Evaluation ◽

Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy

Previous studies have established the efficacy of group and individual formats of cognitive-behavioral therapy in reducing fear of negative evaluation in social anxiety disorder, but the effectiveness of the group and individual therapies has not been widely assessed. This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavior group therapy to individual cognitive-behavioral therapy in social anxiety disorder. 28 patients were randomly allocated to two groups of 14. Each group participated in 12 weekly sessions. The final sample was 22 participants after drop-out. Pretest and posttest data were collected using the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Controlling for pretest fear of negative evaluation and depression, cognitive-behavioral group therapy was more effective than individual cognitive-behavioral therapy in reducing fear of negative evaluation, but the clinical significance and improvement rates of the two treatment formats were equivalent.

Download Full-text