Faculty Collaboration Database

Interpersonal behavior in couple therapy: Concurrent and prospective associations with depressive symptoms and relationship distress. Psychother Res 2020 Feb;30(2):183-194

Date

08/01/2018

Pubmed ID

30063874

Pubmed Central ID

PMC6355386

DOI

10.1080/10503307.2018.1504175

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85052156900 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated associations between couples' interpersonal behavior, depressive symptoms, and relationship distress over the course of couple psychotherapy. Method: After every other session of Integrative Systemic Therapy (M = 13 sessions), N = 100 individuals within 50 couples rated their in-session affiliation and autonomy behavior using the circumplex-based Structural Analysis of Social Behavior Intrex. Concurrent and prospective associations of interpersonal behavior with depressive symptoms and relationship distress were evaluated via multivariate multilevel modeling using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Results: An individual's hostility, as well as the partner's hostility, positively predicted an individual's concurrent depressive symptoms and relationship distress, as well as his or her relationship distress at the following session. Partner hostility during one session predicted an individual's subsequent depressive symptoms. During sessions in which individuals controlled the partner, and separated themselves from the partner, they reported more concurrent depressive symptoms and relationship distress, and more subsequent relationship distress. When partners separated themselves, individuals reported more concurrent depressive symptoms and relationship distress, and more subsequent relationship distress. Conclusions: Results underscore the importance of couples' in-session affiliation and autonomy behavior in the treatment of depressive symptoms and relationship distress within couple therapy.

Author List

Knobloch-Fedders LM, Wilson SJ

Author

Lynne Knobloch-Fedders Ph.D. Assistant Professor in the Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology department at Marquette University

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Couples Therapy
Depression
Female
Hostility
Humans
Male
Sexual Partners
Social Behavior
Spouses
Stress, Psychological