The effectiveness of emotionally focused couple therapy on couple’s functional flexibility and distress tolerance

The present study aimed to the effectiveness of emotionally-focused couple therapy on couple’s functional flexibility and distress tolerance.

This research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test associated with a control group and a 3-month follow-up. The statistical population included couples referring to Avaye Daroon and Rahnama Counseling Centers and Mehr Hospital Counseling Center in Tehran from May to June 2018. Of them, 60 couples volunteered to participate in the research answered the Connor-Davidson Functional Flexibility Questionnaire (Resilience Scale) (2003) and Simons and Gaher Distress Tolerance Scale (2005). After the screening, 30 couples were selected who were randomly assigned to an experimental group who exposed to an intervention of emotionally-focused couple therapy, and a control group, 15 couples in each group. experimental group were received eight 90-minutes sessions of intervention. Johnson's Emotion-Focused Intervention (2012) were used. The data were analyzed using a mixed ANOVA of repeated measures.

The results indicated the effect of emotion-focused intervention on functional flexibility (P = 0.001, F = 29.75) and distress tolerance (P = 0.004, F = 12.14) the stability of these effects at the follow-up phase.

interventions led the couples to remove their focus from their spouse's behavior and to focus on their behavior, and thereby, they stopped the use of the mentioned communication barriers and, while increasing their tolerance, they could improve their relationships by learning the right communication program to increase their flexibility.