We examined the utility of naive ratings of communication patterns and relationship quality in a large sample of distressed couples. Untrained raters assessed 10-min videotaped interactions from 134 distressed couples who participated in both problem-solving and social support discussions at each of 3 time points (pre-therapy, post-therapy, and…

Objective: To examine changes in observed communication after therapy termination in distressed couples from a randomized clinical trial. Method: A total of 134 distressed couples were randomly assigned to either traditional behavioral couple therapy (TBCT; Jacobson & Margolin, 1979) or integrative behavioral couple therapy (IBCT; Jacobson &…

Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) posits that emotional reactions to a partner's behavior can be as important to the relationship as the behavior itself. This study examined whether acceptance (a) is distinct from relationship sentiment, (b) mediates the link between a partner's behavioral frequency and own relationship satisfaction,…

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…

The current study assessed agreement within 273 treatment-seeking couples that reported on aggression in their relationship using the Conflict Tactics Scale-2 (CTS-2; M. A. Straus, S. L. Hamby, S. Boney-McCoy, & D. B. Sugarman, 1996), the dominant instrument for assessing violence among couples. Results revealed low-to-moderate levels of…

Married couples engaged in discussion of actual problems. No effects of experimental instructions on communication styles were discovered. Results are compared with another study, suggesting the "fakability" of marital interaction data. (Author/BEF)

Compared communications patterns and conflicts over psychological distance in 25 nondistressed couples, 15 clinic couples, and 22 divorcing couples. Compared with nondistressed couples, both distressed groups had less mutual constructive communication, more avoidance of communication, more demand/withdraw communication, and more conflict over…

Couples completed questionnaires designed to test assumptions of the Spouse Observation Checklist. The assumption that the checklist represents the universe of marital pleasing and displeasing events received some support. Data did not support the assumption that couples can reliably observe their own behavior. (Author)