The Impact of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Forgiveness and Post-Traumatic Growth in Women Recovering from Marital Infidelity
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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on interpersonal forgiveness and post-traumatic growth (PTG) in women affected by marital infidelity.
Methods and Materials: The study utilized a randomized controlled trial design with 30 participants recruited from counseling centers in Tehran, Iran. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 15), which received eight 90-minute sessions of ACT, or a control group (n = 15), which received no intervention. Both groups were assessed at three time points: pre-test, post-test, and a five-month follow-up. Interpersonal forgiveness and post-traumatic growth (PTG) were measured using validated scales. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests to examine changes over time and between groups. SPSS-27 software was used for statistical analysis.
Findings: The analysis showed significant improvements in the experimental group for both interpersonal forgiveness and PTG compared to the control group. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant main effects of time (F(2, 56) = 88.45, p < .001) and group (F(1, 28) = 69.86, p < .001) for interpersonal forgiveness, as well as significant time × group interactions (F(2, 56) = 81.78, p < .001). Similar effects were observed for PTG, with significant time (F(2, 56) = 117.32, p < .001) and group (F(1, 28) = 157.26, p < .001) main effects and time × group interactions (F(2, 56) = 88.88, p < .001). Bonferroni post-hoc tests confirmed significant improvements from pre-test to post-test (p < .001) and pre-test to follow-up (p < .001) in the experimental group, with no significant changes in the control group.
Conclusion: ACT significantly enhanced interpersonal forgiveness and PTG among women affected by marital infidelity, with improvements sustained at follow-up. These findings underscore the effectiveness of ACT as a therapeutic intervention for addressing emotional and relational challenges in this population. Future research should investigate the long-term effects of ACT and its integration with other therapeutic modalities.
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