The Effectiveness of Cognitive Therapy in Groups on Alexithymia and Marital Burnout of Women Exposed to Infidelity

Introduction: To create and maintain a desired marital satisfaction and reduce the harms of spouse infidelity, individuals need to recognize and describe their feelings and emotions and reduce marital burnout, in this regard the main purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of cognitive therapy in groups on alexithymia and marital burnout of women exposed to Infidelity. Methods: This research was quasi-experimental with a pre-test/post-test design with a control group. The target population included women referred to three counseling centers in Mashhad who were exposed to spouse sexual infidelity. Twenty women who qualified for the study were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. Before training, the pre-test(Toronto Alexithymia scale and Pines Marital Burnout Questionnaire) was applied to both groups. The experimental group went under cognitive therapy in groups using, Michael Free for twelve sessions, whereas the control group didn’t receive any training. After training sessions, the post-test was performed and data were analyzed by using multi-covariance. Results: The results showed that cognitive therapy in groups was effective on alexithymia and marital burnout of women exposed to infidelity.(P<0.01) Conclusions: Results showed that cognitive therapy in groups on alexithymia and marital burnout was effective, considering the usefulness of cognitive therapy in groups on alexithymia and marital burnout, it can be an alternative for women seeking professional help after being betrayed.