مقایسه اثربخشی درمان مبتنی بر کارآمدی هیجانی و درمان شناختی‌رفتاری مبتنی بر ذهن‌آگاهی بر تمایزیافتگی خود در زوجین

ابوالفضل  سلیمی; محمود  شیرازی; سوفیا  خانقاهی

Authors

Abolfazl Salimi PhD Student, Department of Psychology, Zah.C., Islamic Azad University, Zahedan, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3169-5584
Mahmoud Shirazi Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0758-2931
Sophia Khaneghahi Department of Psychology, Zah.C., Islamic Azad University, Zahedan, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3518-9363

Keywords:

Self, differentiation, Emotional Efficacy Therapy (EET), Mindfulness, Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MCBT), Couples

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Emotion Efficacy Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in improving differentiation of self among couples.

Methodology: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest–follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of couples aged 25–40 years who attended counseling clinics and psychiatric centers in Arak, Iran, during the spring and summer of 2025. Using convenience sampling, 45 couples were recruited and randomly assigned to an Emotion Efficacy Therapy group, a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy group, or a control group. Each intervention was delivered in eight 90-minute sessions, whereas the control group received no intervention and remained on a waiting list. Data were collected using the Differentiation of Self Inventory developed by Skowron and Friedlander. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and post hoc pairwise comparisons were conducted using SPSS version 26.

Findings: Multivariate and within-subject analyses demonstrated significant effects of time and the time-by-group interaction on differentiation of self (p<0.001). The between-group effect was also statistically significant (p<0.001), indicating that changes in differentiation of self differed across the three groups. Post hoc comparisons showed that both Emotion Efficacy Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy produced significant improvements in differentiation of self at the posttest and follow-up assessments compared with the control group. Significant differences were also observed between the two intervention groups at both assessment stages, with Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy demonstrating a greater therapeutic effect. Significant differences across the pretest, posttest, and follow-up assessments further supported the maintenance of the intervention effects over time.

Conclusion: Both interventions appear effective in enhancing couples’ differentiation of self by increasing emotional awareness, promoting nonjudgmental acceptance of internal experiences, reducing automatic emotional reactivity, and strengthening emotion-regulation abilities. Nevertheless, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy demonstrated comparatively greater effectiveness and may represent a particularly useful intervention for couples experiencing difficulties in maintaining emotional autonomy and balanced interpersonal boundaries.

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