Comparison of the Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused and Compassion-Focused Couple Therapy on Covert Relational Aggression and Psychological Well-being in Cardiovascular Patients

Abstract

Purpose: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of emotion-focused couple therapy and compassion-focused couple therapy on covert relational aggression and psychological well-being in cardiovascular patients.   Methods and Materials: This semi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with a two-month follow-up and a control group. The research population consisted of cardiovascular patients referred to Razi Hospital in Ahvaz during the fall of 2023. The sample size included 13 couples in each group, selected through purposive sampling. The experimental groups received eight 90-minute sessions of emotion-focused and compassion-focused couple therapy, respectively, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were collected using the Covert Relational Aggression Scale (Nelson & Carroll, 2006) and the Psychological Well-being Scale (Najarian & Davoudi, 2001) and analyzed using chi-square tests, repeated measures ANOVA, and Bonferroni post hoc tests in SPSS-26.   Findings: The results showed that both emotion-focused and compassion-focused couple therapies led to a reduction in covert relational aggression and improvement in psychological well-being among cardiovascular patients, with the effects sustained at the follow-up stage (P < .001). Furthermore, the difference between the two therapeutic methods in reducing covert relational aggression and improving psychological well-being was not statistically significant (P > .05).   Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, therapists and health professionals can utilize both emotion-focused and compassion-focused couple therapy—alongside other therapeutic approaches—to reduce covert relational aggression and enhance psychological well-being in cardiovascular patients.