Comparative Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy in Reducing Domestic Violence among Women with Marital Conflict
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Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) in reducing domestic violence among married women experiencing marital conflict.
Methods and Materials: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest–posttest control group and a 3-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of all women with marital conflict who attended family counseling centers affiliated with the Welfare Organization in Tehran during the first six months of 2025. A total of 45 participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. The instruments included Sanaei’s Marital Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ; 2000) and the standardized Domestic Violence Against Women Questionnaire developed by Tabrizi et al. (2012). The ACT and EFCT interventions were delivered in eight 90-minute weekly group sessions for the first and second experimental groups, respectively. Data were analyzed using mixed (split-plot) analysis of variance.
Findings: The results of the mixed ANOVA indicated a significant difference in domestic violence scores between the EFCT and ACT groups at posttest and follow-up (p < .05). However, overall findings suggested that the effectiveness of EFCT and ACT in reducing domestic violence among married women with marital conflict was approximately equivalent (p < .05).
Conclusion: It can be concluded that both EFCT and ACT can be used as supportive therapeutic approaches to improve domestic violence outcomes in married women experiencing marital conflict.
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