The Comparison of the Effectiveness of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy and Couple Therapy with Reality Therapy Approach on Couple’s Functional Flexibility and Distress Tolerance

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of emotionally-focused couple therapy and with the reality 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 Counseling Center in Tehran 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, 45 couples were selected who were randomly assigned to an experimental group who exposed to an intervention of emotionally-focused, an experimental group who exposed to an intervention of reality therapy, and a control group, 15 couples in each group. Both experimental groups were received eight 90-minutes sessions of intervention. Johnson's Emotion-Focused (2012) and Glaser’s Reality Therapy (2016) 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) and the impact of reality therapy on functional flexibility (P=0.004, F=12.14) and distress tolerance (P=0.004, F= 12.14) and the stability of these effects at the follow-up phase.

Both interventions led the couples to remove their focus from their spouse's behavior and to focus on their behavior, and while increasing their tolerance, they were able to improve their relationship by learning the right communication program.