The effectiveness of group therapy based on acceptance and commitment on the dimensions of marital intimacy in premenopausal women

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of group therapy based on acceptance and commitment to the dimensions of marital intimacy in premenopausal women. The research method was a quasi-experimental study with an experimental and control group and a pre-test, post-test, and 2-month follow-up plan. The statistical population was 86 premenopausal women referred to health centers in the north of Tehran in 2018. After announcing the call and screening using Bagarozzi's Marital Intimacy Questionnaires (2001), 40 women were selected in an accessible way and were randomly replaced into two experimental (20 women) and control (20 women) groups. Hayes and Strosahl's (2010) acceptance and commitment treatment program was implemented for the experimental group for 8 sessions of 90 minutes once a week. Both groups responded to the research questionnaires in three stages, and the data were analyzed using mixed variance analysis with repeated measures. The results showed that the treatment based on acceptance and commitment significantly affects the following cases: On emotional intimacy (F=3.89, P=0.046), psychological intimacy (F=7.72, P=0.008), rational intimacy (F=15.31, P=0.001), intimacy sexual (F=11.53, P=0.002), physical intimacy (F=7.87, P=0.008), spiritual intimacy (F=11.64, P=0.002), aesthetic intimacy (F=11.64, P=0.002) and social-recreational intimacy (F=14.75, P=0.001). Also, this effect remained stable in the two-month follow-up phase. Since acceptance and commitment therapy leads to psychological flexibility and the individual's commitment to performing meaningful actions based on human values, it can be used as an effective intervention method to improve the dimensions of marital intimacy in premenopausal women.