The Impact of Cognitive-Behavioral Family Therapy on Anger Control and Marital Conflict Reduction in Couples Referring to the Police Counseling Centers: A Single-Subject Study

The family is considered the basis and foundation of any society, and while being the center of comfort and tranquility, it is also the place where couples' opinions and attitudes clash. Marital conflict and anger are the consequences of incorrect communication patterns in the family.

This study was aimed at investigating the impact of cognitive-behavioral family therapy on anger control and reduction of marital conflict in couples referring to the counseling center of Police Station 11 in Khorramabad, Iran. The statistical population included all the couples of Law Enforcement personnel who referred to the police counseling center. The sample size included 3 couples (6 people) who had referred to the police counseling center due to family problems. In this study, a single-case design of asynchronous multiple baseline type was used. The cognitive-behavioral family therapy protocol was administered in three baseline stages, ten 90-minute intervention sessions and a two-month follow-up, and the subjects responded to marital conflict and anger control scales. 

The data were analyzed using visual charting, reliable change index and improvement percentage formula. The findings showed that the rates of improvement in anger control variable in the post-treatment and the follow-up stages were 40.64% and 41.43% respectively, and in marital conflict variable in the post-treatment and the follow-up stages the rates were 49.88% and 49.69%, respectively. Thus, the findings of the study indicate that cognitive-behavioral family therapy has been effective in controlling anger and reducing marital conflict.

The research findings show that cognitive-behavioral family therapy has been effective in controlling anger and reducing marital conflicts.