Supplementing behavioral marital therapy with cognitive restructuring and emotional expressiveness training: an outcome investigation.
The current study investigated whether the effectiveness of behavioral marital therapy (BMT) would be increased by the addition of cognitive restructuring (CR) and/or emotional expressiveness training (EET) for maritally distressed couples. Sixty such couples were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 therapists and 1 of 5 treatment conditions (BMT Alone, CR + BMT, BMT + EET, CR + BMT + EET, or waiting list) for 12 weeks of conjoint marital therapy. Within each treatment condition, couples typically improved on the variables focused on in treatment. However, comparisons among active treatment conditions showed few significant differences among treatments; the treatments were equally effective in increasing marital adjustment. Thus, the addition of CR and EET did not appear to increase the overall effectiveness of treatment. Possible reasons for the current findings are provided, and suggestions for future marital outcome investigations are outlined.
Baucom
D H
DH
Psychology Department, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599.
Sayers
S L
SL
Sher
T G
TG
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003142:Communication; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008388:Marital Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D011340:Problem Solving