Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Couple Therapy on Reducing Depression and Anxiety Symptoms and Increasing Dyadic Adjustment and Marital Social Skills: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Several kinds of marital conflict might be solved through constructive communication, development of interaction skills, and behavioral and thought modification. The aim of this study was to show results of the application of a protocol based on cognitive behavioral couple therapy (CBCT) on dyadic adjustment, marital social skills, depression, and anxiety symptoms. The sample consisted of 32 participants (16 couples) divided in two groups by length of marriage: Group 1 (1–7 years) and Group 2 (8–12 years). All subjects recruited were older than 18 and reported having communication problems in their relationship. The ages were M = 30.4, SD = 4.13. The measures were Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), Beck Depression Inventory–II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Marital Social Skills Inventory (Inventário de Habilidades Sociais Conjugais [IHSC]), and the Sociodemographic Questionnaire. Participants were assessed pre- and postintervention and had a 6-month follow-up. The intervention consisted of twelve 50-min sessions per couple. Based on three time analyses, both groups obtained the following results: DAS (p = .001), BDI-II (p = .000), BAI (p = .000), and IHSC (p = .001). We conclude that the CBCT protocol developed for this study, resulted in statistically significant improvements in the couple’s relationship for all variables studied in both groups.

Keywords

cognitive behavioral couple therapy communication skills dyadic adjustment depression anxiety

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