title: Emotionally focused interventions for couples with chronically ill children: a 2-year follow-up.
abstract: Couples with chronically ill children are particularly at risk for experiencing marital distress. The study presented here is a 2-year follow-up of a randomized control trial that assessed the efficacy of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) in decreasing marital distress in a sample of couples with a chronically ill child. Thirteen couples with chronically ill children who received treatment were assessed to determine if the significant improvement in relationship distress observed at posttreatment and 5-month follow-up would be maintained at 2-year follow-up. Results demonstrated that improvements in marital functioning were not only maintained but, in some cases, enhanced at the 2-year follow-up. This uncontrolled follow-up study provides initial evidence of the longer-term benefits of EFT.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Patient Service Unit, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8L1.
authors.forename: Paula F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Cloutier
authors.forename: Ian G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Manion
authors.forename: Jan Gordon
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008388:Marital Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D009864:Ontario; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome