اثربخشی گروه‌درمانی مبتنی بر پذیرش و تعهد بر کیفیت زندگی زناشویی، سازگاری زناشویی و رضایت زناشویی در زنان دارای تعارض زناشویی

علی اکبر  قدسی; محسن دوستکام; براتعلی  قوامی

Authors

Ali Akbar Ghodsi Department of Psychology, Boj.C., Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bojnourd, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3884-5694
Mohsen Dostkam Department of Counseling, Attar Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3633-5817
Baratali Ghavami Department of Counseling, Qu.C., Islamic Azad University, Quchan, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1413-5996

Keywords:

: Acceptance and commitment group therapy, quality of marital life, marital adjustment, marital satisfaction

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: Marital conflict may undermine marital quality of life, adjustment, and satisfaction by intensifying negative emotions, reinforcing dysfunctional communication patterns, and reducing psychological flexibility. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based group therapy in improving marital quality of life, marital adjustment, and marital satisfaction among women experiencing marital conflict.

Methodology: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a one-month follow-up and a control group. The statistical population consisted of married women experiencing marital conflict who attended counseling centers in Neyshabur, Iran, in 2022–2023. Thirty eligible participants were selected through simple random sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group, with 15 participants in each group. The experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of acceptance and commitment-based group therapy, whereas the control group received no active intervention. Data were collected using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire, Spanier’s Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire. The data were analyzed in SPSS version 25 using repeated-measures analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and Bonferroni post hoc comparisons.

Findings: Inferential analyses demonstrated that acceptance and commitment-based group therapy produced statistically significant improvements in marital quality of life, marital adjustment, and marital satisfaction compared with the control condition (P<0.01). The intervention yielded effect sizes of 0.726 for marital quality of life, 0.851 for marital adjustment, and 0.755 for marital satisfaction, indicating substantial treatment effects across all three outcomes. Bonferroni pairwise comparisons revealed no statistically significant differences between posttest and follow-up scores for marital quality of life (P=0.826), marital adjustment (P=0.391), or marital satisfaction (P=0.281). These findings indicate that the therapeutic gains were maintained throughout the one-month follow-up period.

Conclusion: Acceptance and commitment-based group therapy appears to improve marital quality of life, adjustment, and satisfaction by promoting emotional acceptance, cognitive defusion, present-moment awareness, psychological flexibility, and committed action consistent with personal and relational values. This intervention may therefore be incorporated into family counseling and psychological treatment programs for women experiencing marital conflict.

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