Do Brief Lab-Based Interventions Decrease Coercive Conflict Within Couples and Parent-Child Dyads?

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Clinical Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Coercive conflict in families and couples contributes to significant health issues.
• Effective, accessible interventions for coercive conflict are lacking.
• The NIH Science of Behavior Change initiative focuses on developing brief interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally test four micro-interventions for reducing coercive conflict.
• To assess the efficacy and disseminability of these brief interventions.
• To identify interventions with cross-cutting health implications.

Main Methods:

• A within-between experimental design was used.
• Four micro-interventions (attributional reframing, implementation intentions, evaluative conditioning, interpretation bias modification) were tested.
• Coercive conflict was measured in couple and parent-child dyads.

Main Results:

• Attributional reframing, implementation intentions, and evaluative conditioning reduced observed coercion in some measures.
• Interpretation bias modification showed mixed results, improving couple conflict but not parent-child conflict, and increasing self-reported conflict.
• No iatrogenic effects were observed across interventions.

Conclusions:

• Brief micro-interventions show potential for reducing coercive conflict.
• These interventions are a promising direction for improving family functioning and health.
• Further optimization and integration into healthcare could significantly enhance population health.