The Associations Between Intensive Residential Couple Therapy and Change in a Three-Year Follow-Up Period

Abstract

This Norwegian couple therapy effectiveness therapy study explored the course and prediction of relationships between depressive symptoms, interpersonal problems, and dyadic adjustment during residential treatment and over a 3-year post-treatment period (N = 117). All measures indicated significant improvement (p \ .001) between admission and discharge (effect sizes .25 to .67), and improvement was maintained at 3-year followup. The proportion of recovered patients during treatment was stable at follow-up. Finding that initial levels of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP) predicted dyadic adjustment change in the follow-up period, we discuss how such interpersonal problems may influence the course of couple therapy.

Bayesian and Maximum-Likelihood Modeling and Higher-Level Scores of Interpersonal Problems With Circumplex Structure

“…Therefore, it should be investigated whether the results can be replicated in a clinical sample. Furthermore, one could examine whether IIP higherlevel scores can differentiate between patient groups or predict treatment outcome, as previously shown for the corresponding octants (Alden and Phillips, 1990;Pincus and Wiggins, 1990;Ruiz et al, 2004;Tilden et al, 2010). The IIP higher-level scores could be particularly interesting when personality disorders are investigated because personality disorders are greatly concerned with impairments in the interpersonal domain (Pincus and Wiggins, 1990).…”

“…The two circumplex For all following analyses of reliability and validity of IIP higher-level scores, we used the scoring model implied by the two scoring methods. We computed regression-component loadings of the scoring models (Schönemann and Steiger, 1976;Beauducel, 2005) as…”

Improvements in closeness, communication, and psychological distress mediate effects of couple therapy for veterans.

“…As discussed extensively in the individual therapy literature (e.g., Kazdin, 2008), therapy delivered as part of research-based clinical trials often differs substantially from treatment-as-usual interventions delivered in the community. Within the couple therapy literature, the limited research on treatment-as-usual couple therapy suggests that effects may differ somewhat across settings, with small (Hahlweg & Klann, 1997) to medium (Anker, Duncan, & Sparks, 2009; Klann, Hahlweg, Baucom, & Kroeger, 2011) effect sizes on global relationship satisfaction found in general community clinics and medium to large effect sizes on global relationship satisfaction shown in more specialized clinics (Doss et al, 2012; Tilden, Gude, Sexton, Finset, & Hoffart, 2010).…”

Randomized Controlled Trial of Imago Relationship Therapy: Exploring Statistical and Clinical Significance

“…Given the lack of clinical evidence supporting IRT, the length of treatment for the study was somewhat arbitrary. A review of couples therapy research literature indicated that 12 sessions was the mode number of sessions for couples (Fals-Stewart, Birchler, & O'Farrell, 1996;Greenberg, Warwar, & Malcolm, 2010;Schade et al, 2014;Tilden, Gude, Sexton, Finset, & Hoffart, 2009;Trudel et al, 2008). This was a number also frequently suggested by IRT therapists with whom we consulted and fit within our research budget.…”