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Comparing the Effectiveness of Narrative Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Referential Thinking in Women Facing Marital Infidelity
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Tahereh Pakdaman   , Majid Yousefi Afrashteh * , Azadeh Farghadani |
| Department of psychology, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran. , yousefi@znu.ac.ir |
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Abstract: (49 Views) |
Introduction: Marital infidelity is one of the most distressing experiences that can significantly impact women’s mental health and cognitive patterns. Among the psychological consequences of this experience are increased referential thinking and the development of negative perceptions about oneself and others. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of narrative therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on referential thinking in women who have experienced marital infidelity.
Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, control group, and a 3-month follow-up. The statistical population included all women experiencing marital infidelity who, in the first half of 2024, referred to counseling and psychological service centers in District 5 of Tehran (Motamed, Entekhab, Rah-No, and Noor centers). Of these, 51 women were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups (17 each) and one control group (17). Data were collected using the Referential Thinking Questionnaire. Participants in the first experimental group received eight sessions of narrative therapy, while the second experimental group received eight sessions of infidelity-focused acceptance and commitment therapy. The control group received no intervention. Post-test was administered to both experimental and control groups. Data were analyzed using multivariate covariance analysis (MANCOVA) in SPSS-22.
Results: Based on the results, there was no significant difference in referential thinking scores among the three groups at the pre-test stage (p > 0.05). However, at the post-test and follow-up stages, the mean scores of referential thinking in the narrative therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy groups were significantly lower than in the control group (p < 0.001). Additionally, there was no significant difference between the two therapy groups at either the post-test or follow-up stages (p > 0.05), indicating that both approaches were equally effective in reducing referential thinking compared to the control group.
Conclusion: The results revealed that both narrative therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy significantly reduced referential thinking in women facing marital infidelity. However, there was no significant difference in the effectiveness of the two interventions. These findings suggest that both therapies can be considered effective interventions for reducing maladaptive thinking patterns following marital infidelity. Consequently, the use of narrative therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy as scientific and effective interventions for decreasing referential thinking and the psychological harm caused by marital infidelity is recommended to therapists and counselors. |
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| Keywords: Narrative therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, Referential Thinking, infidelity, women, psychological stress. |
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/07/21 | Accepted: 2025/09/22 | Published: 2025/10/2 | ePublished: 2025/10/2
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