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Randomized Controlled Trial of the Marriage Checkup: Depression Outcomes
Author(s) -
Gray Tatiana D.,
Hawrilenko Matt,
Cordova James V.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/jmft.12411
Subject(s) - randomized controlled trial , depressive symptoms , depression (economics) , intervention (counseling) , clinical psychology , medicine , psychiatry , psychology , cognition , economics , macroeconomics
The association between relationship functioning and depressive symptoms is well established. This study examined the effects of the Marriage Checkup, a brief two‐session Assessment and Feedback relationship intervention, on depressive symptoms. Two hundred and nine married couples participated in the Marriage Checkup and were randomized into Treatment ( N = 108) and Waitlist‐Control Conditions ( N = 101). Compared to the control condition, intervention participants reported significant improvements in depressive symptoms ( d = 0.55), with an even greater effect for those who were reporting more severe baseline depression symptoms ( d = 0.67). These outcomes are comparable to those within long‐term individual psychotherapy, couple therapy, and pharmacology trials, making this the briefest intervention to date to demonstrate significant improvements in depressive symptoms. Clinical implications are discussed.