Marital status and satisfaction five years following a randomized clinical trial comparing traditional versus integrative behavioral couple therapy.

Summary & key facts

Researchers followed couples for about five years after randomly assigning them to two types of behavioral couple therapy. Both therapies led to large improvements in relationship satisfaction, even for couples who had long-standing serious problems. One therapy called integrative behavioral couple therapy had a modest advantage for about the first two years, but by the longer follow-up the two treatments showed similar results.

Key facts:

• This study compared two couple therapies: traditional behavioral couple therapy and integrative behavioral couple therapy.
• Couples were followed for about five years after treatment to check both their marital status and how satisfied they were with the relationship.
• Both therapies produced substantial improvements in relationship satisfaction, even for couples with serious and long-running problems.
• Integrative behavioral couple therapy showed a statistically better outcome than the traditional approach for about the first two years after treatment ended, but the difference was not large.
• By longer follow-up times, including around five years, the outcomes for the two therapies became similar, meaning the early advantage faded over time.
• The treatments produced these results without additional intervention during the follow-up period, so the changes were measured after the original therapy ended.

Abstract

TBCT and IBCT both produced substantial effect sizes in even seriously and chronically distressed couples. IBCT produced significantly but not dramatically superior outcomes through the first 2 years after treatment termination but without further intervention; outcomes for the 2 treatments converged over longer follow-up periods.

Topics

Attachment and Relationship Dynamics Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications

Categories

Psychology Social Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Clinical psychology Internal medicine Marital Therapy Medicine Psychology Randomized controlled trial

Conditions & symptoms

Feeling disconnected from others