The effectiveness of emotionally focused couple therapy on marital burnout, dysfunctional attitudes, and self-handicapping of clients seeking divorce

Introduction: Regarding the increasing rate of divorce and the high level of marital burnout among divorce clients, the present study aims to assess the effectiveness of emotionally-focused couple therapy on marital burnout, dysfunctional attitudes, and self-handicapping in couples. Materials and Methods: The statistical population included all couples applying for divorce who went to counseling centers in the 4th district of Mashhad-Iran, in the first quarter of 2023. Thirty-two couples were voluntarily selected using the convenient sampling method. Then, they divided randomly into two equal experimental and control groups. The experimental group received emotionally focused couple therapy in 8 sessions. The data was collected using the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS), the Marital Burnout Questionnaire, and the Self-Handicapping Scale (SHS). We analyzed the data aiding SPSS version 23 software, the descriptive and inferential statistics, and multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance tests. ​ Results: Based on the findings, the mean scores of the experimental group in marital burnout, dysfunctional attitudes, and self-handicapping were reduced significantly compared to the controls (P 0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, emotionally focused couple therapy has positive effects on marital burnout, dysfunctional attitudes, and self-handicapping in clients seeking divorce. So, this therapy is suggested for couples who experience marital problems and marital burnout.