Volume 4, Issue 2 (June 2025)                   IJER 2025, 4(2): 1-14 | Back to browse issues page

XML Print


Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:

Toope M, Mirzamani Bafghi S M, Hatami M. (2025). The Effectiveness of Reality Therapy and Emotion-Focused Therapy on Cognitive Avoidance in Women with Marital Distress. IJER. 4(2), 1-14.
URL: http://ijer.hormozgan.ac.ir/article-1-389-en.html
1- Department of Psychology and Counselling, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran
2- Department of Psychology, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran , mirzamani@bmsu.ac.ir
3- Department of Clinical Psychology, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract:   (1621 Views)
Objective: The objective of the present investigation was to assess the efficacy of reality therapy and emotion-focused therapy in mitigating cognitive avoidance among women experiencing marital distress.
Methods: This research was conducted as a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design incorporating a control cohort and an interval for follow-up assessments. The studied population comprised all married women encountering marital distress who sought assistance at counseling clinics located in the second district of Tehran during the summer of 2023. A sample of 45 participants was selected through convenience sampling and being randomly allocated into three distinct groups: Experiment 1 involving Reality Therapy (n=15), Experiment 2 encompassing Emotion-Focused Therapy (n=15), and a control group (n=15). For the acquisition of research data, the study utilized the cognitive avoidance questionnaire developed by Sexton and Dugas (2009) and marital distress questionnaire formulated by Weissman, Snyder, and Bach (2009).
Results: The findings indicated that the average cognitive avoidance scores for the groups receiving reality therapy and emotion-focused therapy were significantly reduced compared to those recorded in the control group (p<0.05). Furthermore, the average cognitive avoidance score within the emotion-focused therapy group was significantly lower than that of the reality therapy group (p<0.05).
Conclusions: The results substantiate the efficacy of psychological interventions in diminishing cognitive avoidance and indicate that emotion-focused therapy may serve as a more efficacious intervention.
Full-Text [PDF 344 kb]   (733 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Original | Subject: Educational Studies
Received: 2024/10/17 | Accepted: 2025/01/23 | Published: 2025/06/1

References
1. Asli Azad, M., Farhadi, T., & Khaki, S. (2021). Efficiency of Online Reality Therapy on Perceived Stress and Experiential Avoidance in the Covid 19-Improved Patients. Health Psychology, 10(38), 141-156. [DOI:10.30473/hpj.2021.55771.4990]
2. Astin, M. C., Ogland-Hand, S. M., Coleman, E. M., & Foy, D. W. (1995). Posttraumatic stress disorder and childhood abuse in battered women: comparisons with maritally distressed women. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 63(2), 308. [DOI:10.1037/0022-006X.63.2.308]
3. Bannon, S., Gonsalvez, C. J., Croft, R. J., & Boyce, P. M. (2002). Response inhibition deficits in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychiatry research, 110(2), 165-174. [DOI:10.1016/S0165-1781(02)00104-X]
4. Basaknejad, S., Moeini, N., & Mehrabizadeh Honarmand, M. (2010). The relationship between post-event processing and cognitive avoidance with social anxiety in students. Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 4(4), 23-24.
5. Behrad Far, R., Jazayeri, R. S., Bahrami, F., Abedi, M. R., Etemadi, O., & Fatemi, S. M. (2017). Assessment and Clinical Diagnosis in Couple Therapy; Revision and Scrutiny for Psychometrics of the Screening Scale for Marital and Relationship Discord (SSMRD). Journal of Family Research, 12(3), 413-435. https://jfr.sbu.ac.ir/article_97413_0a8c1824845cb41d393f4cb1acb477b3.pdf
6. Berman, N. C., Wheaton, M. G., McGrath, P., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2010). Predicting anxiety: The role of experiential avoidance and anxiety sensitivity. Journal of anxiety disorders, 24(1), 109-113. [DOI:10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.09.005]
7. Bögels, S. M., & Mansell, W. (2004). Attention processes in the maintenance and treatment of social phobia: hypervigilance, avoidance and self-focused attention. Clinical psychology review, 24(7), 827-856. [DOI:10.1016/j.cpr.2004.06.005]
8. Davaie Markazi, M., Karimi, J., & Goodarzi, K. (2021). Investigating the Effectiveness of Couple Therapy based on Reality Therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) on Couples' Happiness and Resilience [Research]. Journal of counseling research, 20(77), 89-121. [DOI:10.18502/qjcr.v20i77.6143]
9. Davis, T., & Osborn, C. (2007). School counseling with solution-focused approach. Translated by Nastaran Adibrad & Alimohammad Nazari, Tehran: Science.
10. Fartoosi, F., Moradimanesh, F., Ehteshamzadeh, P., & Hafezi, F. (2023). Comparison of the Effectiveness of Group-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Post-Traumatic Growth in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Iranian Evolutionary Educational Psychology Journal, 5(1), 274-286.
11. Greenberg, L. (2011). Emotion-focused therapy. Theories of psychotherapy series. American Psychological Association: Washington, DC, USA.
12. Hedayati, F., & Torkan, H. (2021). Predicting Multiple Relationships of Attention, Post-Event Processing and Interpretation (Self Related) with Social Anxiety of Isfahan Students. Applied Psychology, 15(1), 47-25. [DOI:10.52547/apsy.2021.215793.0]
13. Karami Noori, R. (2002). Investigating factors affecting students' feelings of happiness and well-being. Journal of Psychology and Educational Sciences, 32(1), 41-44.
14. Karreman, A., & Vingerhoets, A. J. (2012). Attachment and well-being: The mediating role of emotion regulation and resilience. Personality and individual differences, 53(7), 821-826. [DOI:10.1016/j.paid.2012.06.014]
15. Kashdan, T. B., Breen, W. E., Afram, A., & Terhar, D. (2010). Experiential avoidance in idiographic, autobiographical memories: Construct validity and links to social anxiety, depressive, and anger symptoms. Journal of anxiety disorders, 24(5), 528-534. [DOI:10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.03.010]
16. Khayeri, B., Mirmahdi, R., Acuchekian, S., Heidari, H., & Aleyasin, A. (2019). the Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy on Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms, Rumination and Cognitive Avoidance of Women Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Social Cognition, 8(2), 90-100. [DOI:10.30473/sc.2019.45046.2334]
17. Mohammadi, A., Imani, S., & Khoshkonesh, A. (2022). The Comparing Effectiveness of Narrative Exposure Therapy and Emotion- Focused Couple Therapy on Loneliness and Marital Intimacy among Women Affected Infidelity [Research]. Journal of Nursing Education, 10(5), 70-81. [DOI:https://doi.org/10.22034/IJPN.10.5.4]
18. Parham, R., Namdarpour, F., & Dayarian, M. (2023). The effectiveness of the emotion-oriented approach on distress tolerance and cognitive emotion regulation of married women [Research]. Rooyesh-e-Ravanshenasi Journal(RRJ), 12(7), 113-122. http://frooyesh.ir/article-1-4505-fa.html
19. Rafiee, S. H., Taklavi, S., Abolghasemi, A., & Hatamian, H. (2021). Comparing the effectiveness of reality therapy and positive psychotherapy on sleep quality in patients with multiple sclerosis. Caspian Journal of Neurological Sciences, 7(2), 104-117. [DOI:10.32598/CJNS.7.25.4]
20. SadriDemirchi, E., Kazan, k., & Dargahi, S. (2016). Effectiveness of Reality Therapy on Emotional, Psychological and Social Well-being of Elderly Men Residing in Nursing Homes. Aging Psychology, 2(3), 187-194. https://jap.razi.ac.ir/article_623_e4fedd0df57c8f2897c116018b0efdd6.pdf
21. Sexton, K. A., & Dugas, M. J. (2008). The cognitive avoidance questionnaire: validation of the English translation. Journal of anxiety disorders, 22(3), 355-370. [DOI:10.1016/j.janxdis.2007.04.005]
22. Sexton, K. A., & Dugas, M. J. (2009). An investigation of factors associated with cognitive avoidance in worry. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 33(2), 150-162. [DOI:10.1007/s10608-007-9177-3]
23. Whisman, M. A., Snyder, D. K., & Beach, S. R. (2009). Screening for marital and relationship discord. Journal of Family Psychology, 23(2), 247. [DOI:10.1037/a0014476]
24. Woolley, S. R. (2007). Emotionally focused therapy for couples. Universidaddel Desarrollo. Santiago.
25. Wubbolding, R. E. (2015). The voice of William Glasser: Accessing the continuing evolution of reality therapy. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 37(3), 189-205. [DOI:10.17744/mehc.37.3.01]
26. Zweidawi, J., & Safarzadeh, S. (2021). Effectiveness of Group Reality Therapy on Social Well-being, Life Expectancy and Locus of Control in Women with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder [Research]. Journal of Nursing Education, 8(6), 106-117. http://ijpn.ir/article-1-1610-fa.html

Add your comments about this article : Your username or Email:
CAPTCHA

Send email to the article author


Rights and permissions
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0 International.

The Iranian Journal of Educational Research (IJER) is licensed under the Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
Designed & Developed by: Yektaweb