The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy on couples communication skills

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy on couples' communication skills. The present study was a semi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test with a control group. The statistical population of the research included all the couples who referred to the welfare counseling centers in Tehran in the spring of 1401, and 32 subjects (16 couples) were selected by voluntary sampling. From this sample, 16 people were randomly assigned to the experimental group and 16 people were assigned to the control group. First, both groups were pre-tested. Then, group cognitive-behavioral intervention sessions of Wildermut (2008) were applied to the experimental group in nine 90-minute sessions. After the completion of the intervention sessions, both groups were given a post-test. The instrument used in this research was the Barton Communication Skills Questionnaire (BCSI). The data was analyzed using SPSS-24 software and the statistical method of analysis of covariance. The results showed that the intervention of cognitive-behavioral therapy has significantly improved the subscales of communication skills in the experimental group compared to the control group. Therefore, it can be concluded that cognitive-behavioral therapy can help improve the life of couples as an effective psychotherapy method and improve the quality of life and marital satisfaction of these people.