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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Individual behavioural-cognitive therapy v. marital therapy for depression in maritally distressed couples.

BACKGROUND: Depressed patients are often characterised by marital distress, but few studies investigate the effects of marital therapy on depressed mood and relationship dysfunction. METHOD: Twenty-seven depressed patients experiencing marital distress were randomly assigned to either individual behavioural-cognitive therapy or marital therapy. The individual treatment condition focused on depressed mood, behavioural activity and dysfunctional cognitions, whereas in the marital condition the partner was involved in the treatment and the focus was on the communication process in the marital relationship. MANOVAs revealed that treatment led to statistically significant improvements in depressed mood, behavioural activity and dysfunctional cognitions, an increase in relationship satisfaction and improvement of communication in patients and spouses. A significant interaction effect was found, showing that marital therapy had more impact on relationship variables than the individual treatment. CONCLUSION: Both individual cognitive-behaviour therapy and marital therapy lead to less depressive complaints, and both treatment conditions have a positive effect on the relationship, although the effect on the relationship is significantly stronger in couples who were tested by marital therapy compared with patients who were treated individually.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Interaction of drug therapy with marital therapy in depressive patients.

Comparative effects of the antidepressant drug, amitriptyline hydrochloride, marital therapy, and the drug-psychotherapy interaction effects were studied in a 12-week course of treatment of outpatient depressives. Patients were assigned randomly to four treatment groups, in a 2 times 2 factorial design: (1) drug-marital therapy; (2) drug-minimal contact; (3) placebo-marital therapy; and (4) placebo-minimal contact. Both drug and marital therapy showed substantial beneficial advantages over their control conditions, but drug therapy was faster and generally superior in symptom relief and clinical improvement. Marital therapy was superior in family role task performance and perception of the marital relationship. For reducing hostility and enhancing the perception of the marital relationship, drug therapy had a better early effect, but marital therapy had superior effects by the end of treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Profiles of couples seeking sex therapy and marital therapy.

Assessment of 29 couples seeking marital therapy and 25 seeking sexual therapy at the same institution permitted the delineation of two distinct profiles. Although the two groups were similar in the degree of their sexual and marital difficulties and in demographic characteristics, the relationships of the sex therapy couples were generally characterized by satisfaction and affection, whereas those of the marital therapy couples were often antagonistic. In addition, the sex therapy couples tended to be less conservative and more thoughtful in their approach to life and their problems.

Demography↗
PubMed1996

Gender dilemmas and myth in the construction of marital bargains: issues for marital therapy.

Marital therapists are regularly confronted with issues of equality and fairness when working with couples. This article examines the social-contextual factors that influence couples' negotations about these issues. A common solution for couples, "the myth of equality," is identified, together with the processes that maintain it. The role of the therapist in relation to gender equality is addressed.

Female↗
PubMed1993

A comparison of the generalization of behavioral marital therapy and enhanced behavioral marital therapy.

This study examined the generalization of behavioral marital therapy (BMT) and enhanced behavioral marital therapy (EBMT), which added cognitive restructuring, affect exploration, and generalization training to BMT. Couples' communication and cognitions were assessed in the clinic and at home. Both BMT and EBMT were effective in decreasing negative communication behaviors and cognition across settings, but there was little evidence of differential generalization or change between the treatments. A series of regression equations showed no significant association between the extent of change in communication or cognitions and change in frequency of marital disagreements or marital satisfaction. It is concluded that BMT results in impressive generalization of communication and cognitive change, but it remains to be demonstrated that these changes are crucial to improvements in marital satisfaction.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Creating healing relationships for couples dealing with trauma: the use of emotionally focused marital therapy.

Emotionally focused marital therapy (EFT), a marital therapy that particularly focuses on the creation of secure attachment, has proven in empirical studies to be effective for distressed couples. This paper discusses the application of EFT in couples where one or both of the partners have experienced significant trauma. EFT, in this context of trauma, incorporates the nine steps of conventional EFT and also encompasses the three stages of the "constructivist" self development theory of trauma treatment. This paper illustrates how the integration of EFT and trauma treatment can prove effective in treating not only relationship distress but also the individual symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Affect↗
PubMed2006

Marital therapy for depression.

BACKGROUND: Marital therapy for depression has the two-fold aim of modifying negative interaction patterns and increasing mutually supportive aspects of couple relationships, thus changing the interpersonal context linked to depression. OBJECTIVES: 1. To conduct a meta-analysis of all intervention studies comparing marital therapy to other psychosocial and pharmacological treatments, or to non-active treatments. 2. To conduct an assessment of the internal validity and external validity. 3. To assess the overall effectiveness of marital therapy as a treatment for depression. 4. To identify mediating variables through which marital therapy is effective in depression treatment. SEARCH STRATEGY: CCDANCTR-Studies was searched on 5-9-2005, Relevant journals and reference lists were checked. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials examining the effectiveness of marital therapy versus individual psychotherapy, drug therapy or waiting list/no treatment/minimal treatment for depression were included in the review. Quasi-randomised controlled trials were also included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were extracted using a standardised spreadsheet. Where data were not included in published papers, two attempts were made to obtain the data from the authors. Data were synthesised using Review Manager software. Dichotomous data were pooled using the relative risk (RR), and continuous data were pooled using the standardised mean difference (SMD), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. The random effects model was employed for all comparisons. A formal test for heterogeneity, the natural approximate chi-squared test, was also calculated. MAIN RESULTS: Eight studies were included in the review. No significant difference in effect was found between marital therapy and individual psychotherapy, either for the continuous outcome of depressive symptoms, based on six studies: SMD -0.12 (95% CI -0.56 to 0.32), or the dichotomous outcome of proportion of subjects remaining at caseness level, based on three studies: RR 0.84 (95% CI 0.32 to 2.22). In comparison with drug therapy, a lower drop-out rate was found for marital therapy: RR 0.31 (95% CI 0.15 to 0.61), but this result was greatly influenced by a single study. The comparison with no/minimal treatment, showed a large significant effect in favour of marital therapy for depressive symptoms, based on two studies: SMD -1.28 (95% CI -1.85 to -0.72) and a smaller significant effect for persistence of depression, based on one study only. The findings were weakened by methodological problems affecting most studies, such as the small number of cases available for analysis in almost all comparisons, and the significant heterogeneity among studies. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence to suggest that marital therapy is more or less effective than individual psychotherapy or drug therapy in the treatment of depression. Improvement of relations in distressed couples might be expected from marital therapy. Future trials should test whether marital therapy is superior to other interventions for distressed couples with a depressed partner, especially considering the role of potential effect moderators in the improvement of depression.

Depression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Countertransference in marital therapy for infidelity.

Marital therapy for infidelity may bring up intense countertransference feelings in the therapist. Biases and identifications with one or the other spouse, moralism, and feelings of anger, helplessness, and hopelessness often surface while working with clients dealing with extramarital affairs. When the reactions are conscious they are less likely to interfere in the couple therapy, but when unconscious the work may be negatively affected. This article discusses some pitfalls in marital therapy with infidelity.

Countertransference↗
PubMed1983

Effects of sex and marital therapy on sexual interaction and marital happiness.

Conceptual issues and relevant literature pertaining to the interface between marital and sexual function are reviewed. The procedure and results of a treatment outcome study are described. Couples complaining of sexual difficulties received both sex therapy and marital therapy in a balanced, cross-over design. Results on measures of sexual interaction and marital happiness revealed a complex pattern of treatment by sex effects. Sex therapy resulted in more change than marital therapy for both men and women in their dissatisfaction with the frequency of sexual activity. For women, sex therapy produced greater improvement in their average level of sexual enjoyment, whereas men showed a trend favoring change in response to marital versus sex therapy on this measure. Self-acceptance of sexual enjoyment revealed a superior effect for sex therapy with women, while marital therapy again proved more effective in this regard for men. Sex therapy demonstrated a greater impact on mate acceptance in sexual enjoyment for men, while women evidenced a differential treatment response in favor of marital therapy in this regard. Finally, in terms of overall marital happiness, both men and women showed a strong initial response to treatment, regardless of whether it was sexual or marital therapy. Implications of these findings for clinical treatment and future research are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Marital therapy: a viable treatment for depression and marital discord.

Thirty-six maritally discordant couples with depressed wives were randomly assigned to marital therapy, cognitive therapy, or a waiting-list control condition. The women given marital or cognitive therapy showed significant and clinically meaningful reductions in their depression. The women given marital therapy showed greater increases in marital satisfaction than did those given cognitive therapy or no therapy; these differences were maintained at 1-year follow-up. These findings suggest that marital therapy may be the most effective and appropriate treatment for clinically significant marital discord with coexisting clinically significant depression.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Posted summaries of marital therapy.

Summaries of marital therapy sessions, similar to those used in group psychotherapy by Yalom, were posted to reach couples three or four days after each session. The summaries of 600 to 4,000 words included a narrative account of the session and some editorial comment by the therapist. Couples completed a questionnaire assessing the use of the summaries. Replies to questionnaires and clinical impressions indicate the summaries had good acceptability. Couples felt the summaries increased their focus on marital problems between the sessions and provided helpful clarification.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2003

Who's dragging their feet? Husbands and wives seeking marital therapy.

Despite its demonstrated efficacy, marital therapy's impact has been limited by couples' general reluctance to seek help until their problems become severe. To understand this delay, 147 married couples (294 individuals) in the process of seeking marital therapy were surveyed. Using multilevel confirmatory factor analysis, three relatively independent steps (problem recognition, treatment consideration, and treatment seeking) were identified. On average, wives were rated as completing all three steps before their husbands. Gender-role orientation, demographics, relationship satisfaction, and specific relationship problems (especially husbands' dissatisfaction with sex) were also predictive of the steps toward therapy. Implications for marital therapy are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Conjoint marital therapy: a cognitive behavioral model.

This article presents an integrated cognitive-behavioral model for conjoint therapy of chronic marital discord. The model is based on eight empirically testable hypotheses that are clinically relevant and integrate contributions from general systems theory, behavioral marital therapy, and psychoanalysis. Disproof of cognitive schemas for the perception of the opposite sex (transference reactions) is hypothesized to be a common therapeutic mechanism in the dissimilar models of marital therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A randomized clinical trial of cognitive marital therapy.

Thirty-three couples with severe marital discord referred to a psychiatric outpatient department were randomly assigned to Cognitive Marital Therapy or a control group. Cognitive Marital Therapy is a brief, structured couple therapy, which involves spouses in reciprocal self-disclosure of personal constructs. The control group received the same number of sessions of self-disclosure from a programmed marital enhancement text. Personal distress, marital adjustment, marital quality, and aspects of self-disclosure were measured before and after treatment. Symptoms of depression as well as somatic and compulsive complaints showed significant improvement in both groups. The wives exhibited a trend suggesting that they were making more self-disclosures to their spouses after counseling. No discernable differences in outcome were found between the marital therapy group and the control group. Marital intimacy and marital satisfaction did not improve significantly over the course of 10 therapy sessions. This study suggests that the role of self-disclosure in marital therapy needs further clarification.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1996

A critical review of marital therapy outcome research.

OBJECTIVE: This review critically examines conceptual and methodological issues of outcome research designed to evaluate the efficacy of marital therapy (MT). Behavioural marital therapy (BMT), cognitively orientated marital therapy (COMT), emotionally focused marital therapy (EFMT), and insight-oriented marital therapy (IOMT) have provided evidence for efficacy. METHOD: The initial literature search involved the use of the MEDLINE and Psychlit CD-ROM data bases. A secondary literature search based on citations in articles discovered in the initial search was also conducted. Three broad categories involving the delineation of the client sample, study design considerations, and determination of treatment effects were addressed to investigate the quality of evidence concerning the efficacy of MT. RESULTS: None of the 4 approaches has proven superiority in efficacy, and the research does not provide evidence for the superiority of any one approach in distinct types of marital discord. There is some evidence to indicate that future outcome research should avoid the use of "waiting list control groups," since their use appears to be neither ethical nor humane in marital discord research. CONCLUSIONS: The authors suggest that the concept of treatment efficiency may be more clinically relevant to outcome research. A gold standard for "efficiency" would suggest that a marital therapy approach should produce subjective and objective improvement in 50% of eligible couples, and this improvement should be maintained in half of these couples at the one-year follow-up assessment. This standard would be comparable to the data on the 4 effective approaches described in this review.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1979

Marital therapy with borderline patients: is it beneficial?

Marital therapy has developed techniques which do not, for the most part, rely on the individual psychiatric diagnosis of the 2 partners. When both spouses suffer from Borderline personality disorders, the standard techniques do not seem to apply, are difficult to put into effect and the results of therapy are poor. The authors illustrate their experience with the description of a 3 month trial of marital therapy involving a borderline couple. The outcome suggests the need for careful individual and interactional diagnosis prior to marital therapy. Specific psychotherapeutic techniques should be tested for use with Borderline marriage partners.

Adult↗