Comparing the Effect of Integrative-Behavioral and Emotion-Focused Couple Therapies on Marital Adjustment of Couples with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Introduction: The present study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) on marital adjustment of couples with the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).Method: This quasi-experimental study was carried out on couples referred to the Psychological Services Center of Oil Hospital in Tehran, ۲۰۲۰. Thirty couples were selected by purposive sampling and were randomly assigned to three groups: IBCT and EFT groups, and the control group. Two experimental groups received ۲۰ sessions of ۹۰-minute treatment. Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) and Dyadic marital Adjustment Scale (DAS) of Spanier were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using the analysis of covariance.Results: The results showed that EFT was more effective in increasing marital adjustment than IBCT (P <۰.۰۱). Likewise, EFT was more effective than IBCT in increasing the subscales of marital satisfaction, cohesion and affectional expression (P <۰.۰۵); while the agreement showed that there was no significant difference between the two therapy groups and the control group (P > ۰.۰۵).Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicate that both approaches of therapy can increase the marital adjustment in couples with OCD. Considering the greater effectiveness of EFT, it is recommended to use this therapy in the training programs of therapists to treat problems of couples.

Keywords:

Couples Therapy , emotion-focused therapy , marital adjustment , Obsessive-compulsive disorder , Couples