This study examined the effects of gender and social structure on demand/withdraw pattern marital conflict. In this pattern, demander, usually woman, pressures other through emotional requests, criticism, complaints, withdrawer, man, retreats defensiveness passive inaction. study, 31 couples were assessed in 2 conflict situations: 1 which husband wanted a change wife husband. Data from husbands, wives, observers consistently revealed significant main effect (wife-demand/husband-withdraw...

A randomized clinical trial compared the effects of traditional behavioral couple therapy (TBCT) and integrative (IBCT) on 134 seriously chronically distressed married couples, stratified into moderately severely groups. Couples in IBCT made steady improvements satisfaction throughout course treatment, whereas TBCT couples improved more quickly than early treatment but then, contrast to group, plateaued later treatment. Both treatments produced similar levels clinically significant...

This study compared communication patterns and conflicts over psychological distance in 25 nondistressed couples, 15 clinic 22 divorcing couples. Data consisted of questionnaire reports completed independently by husbands wives. The two distressed groups, with had less mutual constructive communication, more avoidance demand/withdraw conflict their relationships. In addition, the group than evidenced a trend for group. Consistent past research, wife demand/husband withdraw was likely across...

Twenty-nine married couples engaged in 2 videotaped discussions: 1 which the husband requested a change wife and husband. Conflict behavior was assessed by self-report observer ratings. Neither conflict structure (who change) nor gender associated with positivity or negativity of spouses' behavior. During discussions husbands' issues, wives husbands did not differ demand/withdraw behavior, whereas when discussing wives' were more demanding withdrawing. Husband-demand/wife-withdraw...

Within the United States, one third of married couples are distressed and almost half first marriages (and more than unmarried cohabiting relationships) end in divorce/separation. Additionally, relationship distress has been linked to mental physical health problems partners their children. Although couple therapy is effective reducing distress, it utilized by less divorcing couples. Therefore, accessible interventions for needed.This study tests efficacy OurRelationship program, an 8-hr...

Research suggests that paraprofessional therapists usually produce effects are greater than for control conditions and comparable to those professional therapist treatment Other nonprofessional psychological treatments, such as self-administered materials self-help groups, have also demonstrated positive Because of the promise these their potential low-cost service delivery, important theoretical questions studies comparing them can answer, psychotherapy outcome research should shift away...

If therapists know why couples seek marital therapy, they can more effectively tailor their therapies to improve treatment outcome. Unfortunately, there have been no systematic studies date on couples' reasons for seeking therapy. In a survey of 147 married the most commonly reported were problematic communication and lack emotional affection. Within individual couples, spouses showed little agreement suggesting that careful assessments should be made each spouse. There was only partial...

Forty-eight couples completed a measure of relationship satisfaction and participated in 2 video-taped problem-solving interactions, 1 focused on an issue identified by the woman man. Thirty-six men 36 women again 2.5 years later. Demandingness, to lesser extent withdrawal, during interactions showed many significant associations with both Time satisfaction. The demandingness withdrawal change was also examined using scores partial correlations. Withdrawal demand-man withdraw discussions...

The authors examined the relationship between 6 personality dimensions (Big Five factors and positive expressivity) marital satisfaction in 132 distressed, treatment-seeking couples 48 nondistressed couples. This study's focus on similarity distressed couples, a population of interest to researchers clinicians, is unique. Results suggest that higher neuroticism, lower agreeableness, conscientiousness, less expressivity are tied dissatisfaction. However, low overall levels partner were found...

To follow distressed married couples for 5 years after their participation in a randomized clinical trial.A total of 134 chronically and seriously were randomly assigned to approximately 8 months either traditional behavioral couple therapy (TBCT; Jacobson & Margolin, 1979) or integrative (IBCT; Christensen, 1998). Marital status satisfaction assessed every 3 during treatment 6 treatment.Pre- posttreatment effect sizes on marital d = 0.90 IBCT 0.71 TBCT, which not significantly different....

This study provides evidence for the reliability and validity of a 7-item constructive communication subscale Communication Patterns Questionnaire (CPQ-CC, Christensen & Sullaway, 1984). Seventy married couples completed CPQ participated in videotaped problemsolving discussions. The constructiveness spouses' behavior during problem-solving discussions was rated by trained observers. CPQ-CC had high internal consistency moderately agreement between spouses. also strongly associated with...

Although traditional behavioral couple therapy (TBCT) has garnered the most empirical support of any marital treatment, concerns have been raised about both its durability and clinical significance. Integrative (IBCT) was designed to address some these limitations by combining strategies for fostering emotional acceptance with change-oriented TBCT. Results a preliminary trial, in which 21 couples were randomly assigned TBCT or IBCT, indicated that therapists could keep 2 treatments distinct,...