The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment-Based Intervention Training on Marital Satisfaction, Marital Communication, and Sexual Relationships in Individuals with Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder
Keywords:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Marital Communication, Obsessive–Compulsive DisorderAbstract
Individuals with Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) experience greater psychological distress and more marital problems compared to non-obsessive individuals, and their marital lives undergo more substantial changes. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based intervention training on marital satisfaction, marital communication, and sexual relationships among individuals with OCD who were clients of the Aram-e-Ravan Psychological Counseling Center in Mashhad. Method: This study employed a pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included all female patients diagnosed with OCD who referred to the Aram-e-Ravan Counseling Center in Mashhad. From this population, 30 participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned into two groups: an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). The experimental group received acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) over 8 sessions, each lasting 60 minutes. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results indicated that acceptance and commitment therapy significantly increased marital satisfaction, marital communication, and sexual relationships in individuals with OCD. Therefore, ACT can be considered an effective therapeutic approach for enhancing marital satisfaction, improving marital communication, and strengthening sexual relationships. Overall, acceptance and commitment therapy was effective in improving marital satisfaction, marital communication, and sexual relationships among individuals with OCD. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that psychologists and psychotherapists utilize this therapeutic approach as an effective intervention to reduce marital problems in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Reza Navaei Zamharir; Sedigheh Moallaei , Niloufar Nourmohammadi , Mona Abedi , Elahe Mehrabian Parizi , Kamran Pourmohammad Ghouchani (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
