Shenakht Journal of Psychology & Psychiatry

Introduction: Marriage is considered the most significant event in an individual’s life and the most fundamental human connection.
Objective: The present research aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on the dimensions of emotional reactivity and brain-behavioral systems in individuals prone to extramarital relationships.
Method: This research was a semi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group. The study population consisted of married women prone to extramarital relationships referring to psychological counseling centers in the city of Babol during the first quarter of 2023. A sample of 30 individuals was selected using a convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to two groups: Experimental (n=15) and control (n=15). The Emotional Reactivity Scale (Nock et al., 2008), the Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System (BIS/BAS) scales (Carver and White, 1994), and the Cognitive Therapy Protocol (Epstein and Baucom, 2002) were used for eight 90-minute sessions to collect data. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) using SPSS version 24 was employed to analyze the data.
Results: The results indicated a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of dimensions and factors of emotional reactivity and brain-behavioral systems (BIS/BAS) (P=0.001). The results of the covariance analysis demonstrated revealed that CBT increased BIS scores and decreased BAS and emotional reactivity scores.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that CBT has a positive impact on the brain-behavioral systems and emotional reactivity of individuals prone to extramarital relationships.