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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Jul;46(3):507-522.
doi: 10.1111/jmft.12411. Epub 2019 Oct 4.

Randomized Controlled Trial of the Marriage Checkup: Depression Outcomes

Tatiana D Gray  1 , Matt Hawrilenko  2 , James V Cordova  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Randomized Controlled Trial of the Marriage Checkup: Depression Outcomes

Tatiana D Gray et al. J Marital Fam Ther. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

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.

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