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Department of Psychology, Ra.C., Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Iran , bahmanakbari@iau.ac.ir
Abstract: (72 Views)
Background: Poor distress tolerance and irrational beliefs, in a vicious cycle, exacerbate marital conflicts and reduce the emotional and cognitive resilience of couples. Despite the theoretical potential of Intensive Short‑Term Dynamic Psychotherapy in modifying these constructs, its concurrent effectiveness on both variables in couples seeking divorce has not yet been investigated.
Aims: The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Short‑Term Dynamic Psychotherapy on distress tolerance and irrational beliefs in couples seeking divorce.
Methods: This was a quasi‑experimental study with a pretest‑posttest control group design and a two‑month follow‑up. The statistical population included all couples seeking divorce in District 2 of Tehran during the first six months of 2024-2025. Among 298 eligible couples, 30 couples were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (15 couples) and a control group (15 couples). The experimental group received the Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy protocol based on Davanloo (1995) and Ten Have‑de Labije & Neborsky (2018) over six 90‑minute sessions. Research instruments included the Distress Tolerance Scale (Simons & Gaher, 2005) and the Irrational Beliefs Test (Jones, 1968). Data were analyzed using repeated‑measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post‑hoc test in SPSS‑27.
Results: The results indicated that the Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy intervention led to a significant increase in distress tolerance (η² = 0.121, P= 0.027) and a significant decrease in irrational beliefs (η²= 0.192, P= 0.003) in the experimental group. These changes remained stable at the follow‑up phase, while no significant changes were observed in the control group. Moreover, significant and stable improvements were found in the subscales of regulation, appraisal, and tolerance (from the distress tolerance variable) and helplessness toward change (from the irrational beliefs variable) (P< 0.05).
Conclusion: Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy is effective in increasing distress tolerance and reducing irrational beliefs in couples seeking divorce. Given the lasting effects of this intervention, it is recommended that counseling centers employ this approach as an effective therapeutic option to assist couples experiencing marital crisis.
Aims: The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Short‑Term Dynamic Psychotherapy on distress tolerance and irrational beliefs in couples seeking divorce.
Methods: This was a quasi‑experimental study with a pretest‑posttest control group design and a two‑month follow‑up. The statistical population included all couples seeking divorce in District 2 of Tehran during the first six months of 2024-2025. Among 298 eligible couples, 30 couples were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (15 couples) and a control group (15 couples). The experimental group received the Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy protocol based on Davanloo (1995) and Ten Have‑de Labije & Neborsky (2018) over six 90‑minute sessions. Research instruments included the Distress Tolerance Scale (Simons & Gaher, 2005) and the Irrational Beliefs Test (Jones, 1968). Data were analyzed using repeated‑measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post‑hoc test in SPSS‑27.
Results: The results indicated that the Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy intervention led to a significant increase in distress tolerance (η² = 0.121, P= 0.027) and a significant decrease in irrational beliefs (η²= 0.192, P= 0.003) in the experimental group. These changes remained stable at the follow‑up phase, while no significant changes were observed in the control group. Moreover, significant and stable improvements were found in the subscales of regulation, appraisal, and tolerance (from the distress tolerance variable) and helplessness toward change (from the irrational beliefs variable) (P< 0.05).
Conclusion: Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy is effective in increasing distress tolerance and reducing irrational beliefs in couples seeking divorce. Given the lasting effects of this intervention, it is recommended that counseling centers employ this approach as an effective therapeutic option to assist couples experiencing marital crisis.
Article number: 13
Keywords: intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy, distress tolerance, irrational beliefs, divorce.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2026/05/25 | Accepted: 2026/09/16 | Published: 2026/10/23
Received: 2026/05/25 | Accepted: 2026/09/16 | Published: 2026/10/23
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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License. |
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)