Treatment response in couple therapy: Relationship adjustment and individual functioning change processes

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Family Studies
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Conjoint therapy aims to improve relationship adjustment and individual functioning.
• Understanding change processes in therapy is crucial for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the process of change in relationship adjustment and individual functioning during the initial 8 sessions of a multisystemic couple therapy model.
• To examine gender differences in relationship adjustment and individual functioning trajectories.
• To explore the predictive relationship between relationship adjustment and individual functioning.

Main Methods:

• Naturalistic investigation of 125 heterosexual couples undergoing integrative problem-centered metaframeworks couple therapy.
• Dyadic latent growth curve and cross-lagged models were used for data analysis.
• Systemic Therapy Inventory of Change (STIC) was administered before each session.

Main Results:

• Both relationship adjustment and individual functioning showed nonlinear change, increasing in sessions 1-4 and stabilizing in sessions 5-8.
• Women reported lower initial relationship adjustment than men, with no gender differences in initial individual functioning or change trajectories.
• Higher relationship adjustment predicted positive change in individual functioning for men, but not for women.

Conclusions:

• Couple therapy demonstrates nonlinear improvement in relationship adjustment and individual functioning within the first 8 sessions.
• The findings highlight the differential impact of relationship adjustment on individual functioning based on gender.
• Examining the interplay between relational and individual changes is vital for understanding couple-based intervention outcomes.