communication beliefs

Objective: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) enriched with compassion in altering dysfunctional communication beliefs among women seeking divorce. Methods: Statistical population of this study consisted of all women seeking divorce in District 4 of Tehran city in the year 2021, who were selected from counseling centers supervised by the Organization of Psychology and Welfare through convenience sampling. Next, Eidelson and Epstein’s (1982) Communication Beliefs Questionnaires were distributed for completion, and 45 individuals who scored high on these scales were selected as the sample and randomly placed into two experimental groups and one control group (each group consisting of 15 individuals). For data analysis, descriptive statistical methods (frequency indices, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance) using SPSS-24 were employed. Findings: Results indicated no significant difference between the ISTDP and ACT enriched with compassion in altering dysfunctional communication beliefs. Both groups showed improvement compared to the control group, but no significant difference was noted between the two in terms of effectiveness. Conclusion: Both ISTDP and ACT enriched with compassion are effective in reducing dysfunctional communication beliefs among women seeking divorce, with no significant difference in effectiveness between the two. This suggests that both therapeutic approaches can be beneficial in this context. Future research should consider broader and more diverse samples, longer follow-up periods, and comparisons to active control groups to further understand the sustained impact and efficacy of these therapies.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of paradoxical couple therapy on self-differentiation, communication beliefs, and marital intimacy in couples experiencing marital conflict. Method: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up, using a control group. The statistical population consisted of all couples with marital conflict in Tehran in 2023. Fourteen couples experiencing marital conflict were selected using a non-random, purposive sampling method, and then, through random assignment, 7 couples were assigned to the experimental group and 7 couples to the control group. The experimental group participated in 8 sessions of paradoxical couple therapy, and after dropouts, 6 participants successfully completed the therapy. The control group received no intervention. To match the number of participants, couples were randomly excluded from the control group to account for dropouts in the experimental group. The study utilized questionnaires measuring self-differentiation, communication beliefs, and marital intimacy. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and SPSS 22 software. Findings: The findings indicated that there was a significant difference between the post-test mean scores of the experimental and control groups. Paradoxical couple therapy significantly improved self-differentiation (F = 4.93, p = 0.035) and marital intimacy (F = 41.16, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, interventions based on the paradoxical approach can effectively improve self-differentiation, communication beliefs, and marital intimacy.