The Effectiveness of Couple Therapy Based on the Choice Theory on Marital Commitment and Burnout in Couples with Marital Conflicts

Introduction: Marital commitment helps couples save their marriage despite difficulties and painful events. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of couple therapy based on the choice theory on marital commitment and burnout in couples with marital conflicts in Mahshahr (Iran). Method: This quasi-experimental study was based on a pretest-posttest and follow-up with a control group design. The statistical population consisted of all couples who visited the couple therapy clinics of Mahshahr, Iran, in 2019. Using convenience sampling, 30 participants were selected and were randomly divided into experimental and control groups (n= 15 per group). The research instruments included the Marital Burnout Questionnaire (MBQ) and Marital Commitment Questionnaire. The repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Results: The mean ± SD of the post-test scores of marital commitment and marital burnout were 16.26±1.37, and 5.37±0.27 in the experimental group and 10.42±0.64 and 6.77±0.28 in the control groups. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the post-test scores of marital commitment and marital burnout (P< 0.001). Conclusion: Couple therapy based on the choice theory was effective in reducing couples’ marital burnout and improving their marital commitment. Therefore, this intervention is recommended to be used to reduce marital conflicts in couples.