Investigating the effectiveness of education based on acceptance and commitment to improving the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional components of attitudes toward extramarital behavior

The research shows that the treatment based on acceptance and commitment has effectively reduced the stress and anxiety of women with emotional and sexual experiences of extramarital relationships. However, there is a research gap in applying this training to the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional components of the attitude toward extramarital behavior in the researched society.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of education based on the approach of acceptance and commitment to improving attitudes towards extramarital behavior.

This research was applied in terms of purpose and mixed type in terms of method. The statistical population included 476 women of Tehran in 2021. In the qualitative part, the sample size included 16 women who were invited for an interview in a targeted manner. In the quantitative part, the sample size was 30 qualified women randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received eight sessions of training based on acceptance and commitment. To analyze the qualitative content of the interviews, the open and axial coding method was used using Maxqda software, and in the quantitative part, covariance analysis was used using SPSS24 software.

The results of the qualitative content analysis of factors affecting the formation of women's attitudes towards extramarital behavior in four elements: 1. Weakness of attitude and individual values; 2. Weakness in lifestyle and defects in marital well-being; 3. Problems related to family life before marriage; 4. The shortcomings of the educational-cultural-economic system were categorized. The results of the implementation of the teaching method based on the acceptance and commitment approach showed a significant level (P < 0.05), indicating the mentioned method's effectiveness.

The teaching method based on the approach of acceptance and commitment has led to the change and modification of the attitude of this group of women towards extramarital behavior. Therefore, using this research with more samples is suggested to other researchers.