Abstract
Background. Marital burnout and low distress tolerance are common issues among spouses of 70% spinal cord injured veterans, which can negatively affect their quality of life and family relationships. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy on marital burnout and distress tolerance in these spouses in Tabriz.
Methods. This semi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The population consisted of all spouses of 70% spinal cord injured veterans in Tabriz. Using purposive sampling, 30 spouses referred to the counseling centers of the Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Foundation were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 8 sessions of 90-minute compassion-focused therapy, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Pines Marital Burnout Questionnaire (2003) and the Simons and Gaher Distress Tolerance Scale (2005).
Results. Descriptive data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. To test the hypotheses, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted using SPSS-26. The findings indicated that compassion-focused therapy significantly reduced marital burnout among the spouses of 70% spinal cord injured veterans (P < 0.01). Additionally, this therapy significantly improved distress tolerance in the participants (P < 0.01).
Conclusion. Compassion-focused therapy was significantly effective in reducing marital burnout and enhancing distress tolerance among spouses of 70% spinal cord injured veterans. It is recommended that these findings be considered by psychologists, counselors, family therapists, and relevant authorities in the Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Foundation, as well as other related organizations.