Comparing the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the Enhancement of Marital Satisfaction and Sexual Intimacy in Couples Referred to Counseling Centers

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.

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.

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.

 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.