Marriage is one of the oldest and well- preserved institutions in human history. The institution of marriage has been traditionally understood as a partnership between a male and a female; which governs their respective sexual and financial liberties and responsibilities. According to Ferraro (2006, as cited in Iriogbe, 2021), matrimony is typically formed under the assumption that it will be permanent and is governed by an explicit contract or understanding. This definition is still widely acknowledged in the majority of countries, including Nigeria.
In contemporary discourse, the concept of marriage as "a sacred union between a man and a woman for a lifetime" has been supplanted by a variety of alternative marriages, including contract marriages, cohabitations, same-sex unions, and legal unions between humans and animals (including rabbits, bears, horses, and dogs, among others). However, under this arrangement, adults of the same sex are now permitted to wed, and such unions have been formally sanctioned as lawful by various highest courts of jurisdiction in some nations, particularly in the West. An intriguing aspect of the traditional institution of matrimony between a man and a woman is that it can be joyful from infancy to the end of one's life. The happiness is only temporary for as long as the couple is capable of maintaining it. Early in their marriage, the majority of partners are typically emotionally intimate and content with one another. Following a period of several months and approximately one to five years, the majority of couples become engrossed in their occupations and childbearing. As a result, their spouse's emotional grip of love begins to gradually weaken. This initial love and emotions intensify dramatically during the final stage, which is commonly marked by the absence of grown children who have left the household. This final phase is referred to as the "empty nest stage" because spouses return to their separation and living arrangements from before the union.
In general, individuals who enter into matrimony, whether governed by traditional, religious, or customary law, are anticipated to remain united until their demise. However, this is not the case in contemporary society. Disagreements frequently escalate into separation or divorce proceedings. Individuals are no longer embarrassed by the stigma associated with divorce. Unfortunately, because of these issues, young people of marriageable age now approach matrimony with skepticism, uncertainty, and apprehension. While certain individuals perceive matrimony as a sacred covenant formed for procreation and the establishment of a family through the exchange of affection and love, others perceive it merely as a means to evade unfortunate domestic circumstances or to fulfill the desires of their parents or friends. According to Bulduc, Caron, and Logue (2007), the contrasting attitudes of young individuals towards marriage are frequently influenced by the experiences of their parents or other close relatives in matrimonial unions involving their spouse and in-laws.
Attitudinal response pertains to an individual's predisposition to regard an object, person, or event either positively or negatively. It is an individual's favorable or unfavorable assessment of a particular subject. This is supported by Kassin's (2008) definition of attitudes as enduring beliefs or opinions that influence individuals' behavior toward a particular person, object, or concept, whether it is positively or negatively. Attitude, as a psychological construct, has been conceptualized to consist of affective, cognitive, and behavioral elements (Maio & Haddock, 2010). While the cognitive elements of attitude pertain to an individual's beliefs or thoughts concerning a particular subject. For example, a negative cognitive attitude may lead a young person to perceive marriage as an unavoidable evil that they must confront at some point in their lives. Conversely, a positive cognitive attitude may encourage a young person to view marriage as a chance to obtain a life partner. The affective component comprises the sentiments or emotions experienced by the subject-associated individual.
An adverse affective disposition may lead an individual to experience emotional distress while married, whereas a positive outlook may regard the matrimonial union as a sacred covenant deserving of reverence. The final element of attitude is the propensity to behave in a particular manner toward the subject. On the basis of the foregoing, one could characterize the learners' disposition or perception toward matrimony and its associated subject matter as either positive or negative. According to Russ (2009), certain psychological therapies have the potential to rectify antisocial behavior and attitudes that may be present in young individuals. The Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Rational Emotion-Behavioral Therapy (REBT), Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT), Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT), and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) are a few examples of such psychological interventions.
Reduction of Negative Aspects of Matrimony through CAT
Cognitive analytic therapy (CAT) is a time-limited, targeted psychological intervention that has been applied to a diverse array of conditions since its inception by Dr. Anthony Ryle in the 1970s. Its initial application was for the management of personality disorders and anxiety. CAT has been implemented over time to assist patients with a diverse array of issues, including but not limited to the following: adult mental health concerns, with minimal exclusion criteria pertaining to severe substance misuse; neurotic disorders (such as eating disorders, anxiety, and depression); personality disorders and certain psychotic diagnoses (e.g. bipolar); suicidal or recurrent self-harm may be taken into account; challenges within marital relationships, including issues related to anger management, sexual difficulties, and bereavement;
Studies examining the efficacy of CAT are relatively well documented. The effects of CAT on marital attitude among Nigerian couples were investigated by Okwun (2017). A behavioral technique known as CAT was implemented with conflicting subjects who were experiencing marital difficulties in the Aba metropolitan area of Abia State, Nigeria. A total of 48 individuals selected at random and placed in either the experimental group (CAT) or the control group based on their marital attitude. A total of twelve individuals comprised each treatment group, of six males and six females. At the pre-, post-, and follow-up sessions, the marital happiness scale (MHS), irrational value scale (IVS), and marital attitude rating scale (MARS) were utilized as measuring instruments. The primary discovery revealed that Cognitive Analytical Therapy significantly altered the marital outlook of Nigerian couples.
Dimkpa (2017) examined the impact of CAT on the marital attitudes of University of Port-Harcourt, Nigeria, personnel. The findings of the study indicate that cognitive analytical therapy (CAT) significantly influenced the marital attitudes of married women enrolled at the University of Port-Harcourt in Nigeria. Ntim (2017) conducted a study to examine the influence of CAT on the marital attitude of Christian couples residing in the Cape Coast Metropolis. It was discovered that CAT has a substantial impact on the marital outlook of Christian couples residing in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Additionally, Anyaegbunam (2016) discovered a positive treatment effect of CAT on the marital attitude of postgraduate students at Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, in his investigation of the effect of CAT on marital attitude.
Widmer et al. (2018) assessed the efficacy of interpersonal psychotherapy, coping-oriented couples' therapy (CAT), and cognitive-analytical therapy (COCT) in the treatment of negative marital attitudes in Georgia, United States. The data for this study were gathered from sixty couples, one of whom was diagnosed with clinical depression. An investigation was conducted into the impacts of the three treatments on negative marital attitude, as measured by the Beck Marital Attitude Inventory. In addition, alterations in the quality of relationships were assessed. An additional finding suggested that CAT had a noteworthy primary effect on the treatment of negative marital attitudes among couples.
Tehranizadeh, Rahimzadeh, and Kamrani (2017) investigated the impact of Cognitive Analytical Therapy on the marital attitudes of couples who sought counseling services prior to marriage. Sixty couples who attended a pre-marriage counseling center (Shahid Rast Ravesh) participated in this parallel interventional study. The findings revealed a significant correlation between the level of marital attitude in the intervention group prior to and two months after the intervention (P = 0.004), as well as before and after the intervention itself (p < 0.001). Hence, the intervention group exhibited a considerably higher level of marital attitude in comparison to the control group. In their research, Ozouni-Davaji et al. (2018) examined the impact of CAT on the propensity for divorce among divorcing couples who were divorcing applicants and had a negative marital attitude in Kurdistan, Iran. The authors discovered that CAT effectively reduced the propensity for divorce among couples, and this reduction was both statistically, and clinically significant.
The Implementation of ACT and the Mitigation of Adverse Attitudes
Hayes (1987) initially designed the ACT to assist individuals in accepting and resolving themselves to work, reside, or coexist harmoniously with others. Initially intended for the management of depression, the ACT has since been validated for a wide array of clinical conditions, including but not limited to workplace stress, chronic pain, the stress associated with terminal cancer, anxiety, PTSD, anorexia, heroin abuse, marijuana abuse, and schizophrenia.
Research has been conducted to determine the efficacy of ACT in addressing adverse attitudes towards marriage. The study conducted by Arezoo et al. (2016, as cited in Iriogbe, 2021) investigated the effectiveness of ACT on the marital outlook of Iranian women. The study found that ACT has a substantial impact on the marital attitude of women attending healthcare centers in Hamadan. In Kenya, Dujani (2018) examined how Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) impacts on the attitude of women towards marital stability and found that ACT had a positive effect on the attitude of women towards marital stability. Similarly, the study conducted by Asogwa, Ojogbane, and Idoko (2016) assessed the impact of ACT on the marital attitudes of married female students enrolled in Nigerian universities' Agricultural Education programmes. A quasi-experimental design comprising a non-randomized control group, pre-test, and post-test was utilized for this study. It was discovered that acceptance commitment (ACT) therapy influences the marital attitudes of women enrolled in agricultural education programs at universities in Nigeria.
Liu, Chang, Yau, and Badayai (2023) carried out a systematic review on the effects of acceptance with focus on cognitive function benefits of ACT. Seven scholarly databases were queried for articles containing trials, including PubMed, Web of Science, Dissertations and Theses, Proquest, EBSCohost, Wanfang, and CNKL Scopus. The search was conducted in both English and Chinese. Following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, twelve stitches containing a total of 904 participants and published between 1994 and 2022 were identified. The outcome measures of the 12 articles comprise cognitive scales and behavior measurements. Ten of the studies demonstrated improvements in specific domains of cognitive function that were indirectly attributable to the ACT intervention. The capacity of ACT intervention to foster psychological flexibility is attributed to its trans-diagnostic nature, according to the study.
Shuanghu and Dongyan (2023) conducted a three-level meta-analysis with the view to determining the distinction between cognitive behavioral therapy and ACT. The current investigation comprised 2536 individuals from 38 studies. CBT was discovered to be superior to ACT in addressing anxiety. However, Self-efficacy and self-regulation abilities were enhanced in the acceptance and commitment therapy study conducted by Abdolrahimi Nowshad (2020).
Sayed, Ali, and Sayed (2002) investigated the efficacy of integrating behavioral couple therapy (BCT) with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to enhance intimacy and family functioning among divorce-seeking couples in Burshelhi. The authors discovered that both ACT and BCT improved these aspects.
In Ahvaz, Iran, Mohammadi, Asgari, Makvandi, and Naden (2021) investigated the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy with couples who visited counseling centers for anxiety, cognitive avoidance, and empathy. The design of the study was quasi-experimental. The study population comprised all married individuals who sought counseling at the counseling center in Ahvaz city, Iran in 2020 for marital adjustment issues. A convenience sampling technique was employed to select 30 participants, who were subsequently randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Among these groups, fifteen individuals who had experienced marital conflicts were included. The ACT intervention program consisted of one session per week. No treatment intervention was administered to the control group. They were assigned to a waiting list for treatment at the conclusion of the research. A 45-day follow-up was conducted at that juncture. The data collection instruments utilized in this study included the symptom checklist-90-revised (SCL-90-12), cognitive assistance questionnaire, and basic empathy scale (BES scale). The experimental group engaged in eight 90-minute ACT sessions. The sessions were conducted on a weekly basis in accordance with ACT practice. ACT was discovered to reduce anxiety and cognitive avoidance while increasing empathy in married couples experiencing conflict.
A study was conducted by Moghaddam, Ali, Aghdasi, and Hejazi (2023) to examine the effectiveness of ACT in addressing marital conflict and emotional divorce among women who are contemplating divorce. The quasi-experimental investigation was undertaken during the latter part of 2021. Twenty participants were selected from family counseling centers in Zanjan using a convenient sampling method; they were then randomly assigned to groups. The treatment group underwent acceptance and commitment therapy for a period of five weeks, during which each session lasted 600 minutes and was held twice per week. The research employed the marital conflict questionnaire and emotional divorce scale to assess pretest and posttest scores, respectively. To compare the mean scores of marital conflict and emotional divorce between the treatment and control groups. In comparison to the control group, acceptance and commitment therapy reduced marital conflicts and emotional divorce scores more effectively in the treatment group. In the treatment group, the average score for marital conflict decreased. In contrast, the control group exhibited no statistically significant changes.
In addition, Ghafoorian and Hassanabadi (2017) investigated the effect of ACT on the marital attitudes of girls enrolled at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. Their findings indicated that ACT has an effect on marital attitudes at the University of Mashhad, Iran. Similarly, Hashemi and Kimiaei (2017) and Azita and Javad (2017) discovered that Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) improved the marital attitudes of couples.
Rationale for the Study
The institution of matrimony has emerged as a subject often correlated with a variety of complications, including marital discord and family disputes stemming from concerns expressed by in-laws, relatives, and romantic partners. Many ascribe these early marital disputes and strife to strained courtship social ties. As a result, they perceive cohabitation as a lifestyle choice and a means to assess their compatibility and, more likely, the possibility of a durable matrimonial union. This is because an individual will ultimately find a spouse after a number of years of cohabitation and maintaining a "cordial relationship." This type of trial marriage is strictly prohibited in conservative societies such as Nigeria, and the Christian community places an even greater emphasis on it, requiring all women to enter into matrimony prior to occupying their spouse's residence.
Marriage counselors and psychologists have frequently received praise for the crucial function they execute in mitigating marital turmoil via their diverse array of services. Bindu and Padmanabhan (2016) assert that the proliferation of scientific breakthroughs and technological progress in recent years has rendered counseling and orientation services provided by counselors indispensable and readily available across all domains of relationship development, especially for couples who are acquainting themselves more with one another. In order to address this issue, it is necessary to assess the efficacy of Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) in resolving Christian youths' negative attitudes toward matrimony in Benin City, Nigeria.
In view of the forgoing therefore, the researchers postulated the following:
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Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT) will have a significant effect in reducing negative attitude towards matrimony when compared with those who received Wealth Creation Lessons using their post test scores.
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Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) will have a significant effect in reducing negative attitude towards matrimony when compared with those who received Wealth Creation Lessons using their post test scores
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No difference in the effect of Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) in reducing negative attitude towards matrimony