Assigned 43 chronic pain patients to couples group treatment, patient-only group treatment, or waiting-list control. The 16-hour cognitive-behavioral program produced reduction in pain, spouse-observed pain behavior, physical and psychosocial dysfunction, marital satisfaction, and use of health care resources. Spouse involvement did not facilitate…

Explored the relationships among masculinity, femininity, and marital satisfaction, and response to behavioral marital therapy in married couples (N=126). Results indicated that for each sex, both femininity and masculinity are significantly correlated with self-reported marital satisfaction. (LLL)

Investigated whether effectiveness of behavioral marital therapy would be increased by addition of cognitive restructuring and/or emotional expressiveness training for maritally distressed couples. Results from 60 such couples randomly assigned to a variety of treatment combinations revealed that the addition of cognitive restructuring and…

Examined generalization of behavioral marital therapy (BMT) and enhanced behavioral marital therapy (EBMT), which added cognitive restructuring, affection exploration, and generalization training to BMT. Both techniques were effective in decreasing negative communication behaviors and cognitions across settings for couples (n=26), but there was…

This study evaluated the effects of alcohol-focused spouse involvement and behavioral couples therapy (BCT) in group drinking reduction treatment for male problem drinkers. Sixty-four male clients and their female partners were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: treatment for problem drinkers only (PDO), couples alcohol-focused treatment, or…

In a sample of 134 married couples randomly assigned to traditional or integrative behavioral couple therapy (TBCT vs. IBCT), a multivariate hierarchical growth curve analysis using latent variable regression revealed that measures of communication, behavior frequency, and emotional acceptance acted as mechanisms of change. TBCT led to greater…

Compared the relative effectiveness of behavioral marital therapy (BMT) with two of its major components, behavior exchange (BE) and communication/problem-solving training (CPT), in married couples seeking therapy (N=36). Results showed that complete BMT was no more effective than either BE or CPT at posttest. (LLL)

Evaluated the effectiveness of behavioral marital therapy (BMT) in aiding distressed couples (N=30) and explored the relative effectiveness of cotherapists versus single therapist. Results affirmed the overall effectiveness of BMT. A cotherapy team and a single therapist were equally effective. No differences were found between immediate therapy…

Examined couples' response to marital therapy at termination and 4 years posttreatment for 55 couples receiving either behavioral or insight-oriented marital therapy. Couples were more likely to be divorced or maritally distressed four years posttreatment if intake measures reflected high levels of negative marital affect, poor problem-solving…

Investigated effects of behavioral couple therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and their combination on female depression 6 and 12 months after therapy ended. Relapse rates did not discriminate between treatments at any follow-up point. Reductions in husband and wife dysphoria and increases in wife facilitative behavior during therapy predicted…

Assigned 49 obese diabetic patients with obese spouses (diabetic or nondiabetic) to an alone or together (with spouses) treatment condition of behavioral weight control program. Found no significant differences in weight losses of patients at posttreatment or one-year followup, but did find that women did better when treated with their spouses,…

Compared two behavioral treatments for marital discord with a nonspecific control and waiting-list control. Behavioral treatments combined problem-solving skills with contingency management procedures, differing only in contracting form, good faith contracts, and quid pro quo contracts. Both behavioral groups improved significantly more than…

Investigated the relative effectiveness of therapeutic components common to behavioral marital therapies: procedures designed to change behavior and attitudes, and nonspecific therapeutic effects. Ordering produced three treatment conditions--nonspecific, behavioral, and behavioral-attitudinal. The behavioral-attitudinal group showed significantly…

Evaluated the effectiveness of spouse training for long-term weight loss. Overweight women (N=68) were assigned to one of five groups. The cooperative spouse group lost significantly more weight. That group and the nonparticipating spouse conditions maintained their weight losses at the final follow-up. The wives-alone group regained some weight.…

This study examined partner violence before and after behavioral couples therapy (BCT) for 303 married or cohabiting male alcoholic patients and used a demographically matched nonalcoholic comparison sample. In the year before BCT, 60% of alcoholic patients had been violent toward their female partner, 5 times the comparison sample rate of 12%. In…