The Efficacy of Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy on Communication Beliefs and Marital Burnout among Couples on the Verge of Divorce

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the current research was to determine the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral couple therapy on communication beliefs and marital burnout among couples on the verge of divorce.

Methods and Materials: The study employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group. The population consisted of couples seeking divorce who visited counseling clinics in Tehran in the year 2022, with 32 individuals being conveniently selected and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group, each comprising 16 members. Data were collected using the Communication Beliefs Questionnaire and the Marital Burnout Questionnaire. The cognitive-behavioral couple therapy intervention for the couples in the experimental group was conducted over eight weekly sessions, each lasting an hour and a half, while the control group was placed on a waiting list.

Findings: The findings indicated that there were significant differences in post-test scores between the experimental and control groups in terms of communication beliefs and marital burnout.

Conclusion:  Therefore, cognitive-behavioral couple therapy has an effect on communication beliefs and marital burnout among couples on the verge of divorce.