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ViewAttendees 4

Symposia

Couples / Close Relationships

Session: Cultivating Relationship Joy: Early Detection, Prevention, and Intervention for Fostering Relationship Health in Active-Duty Military Couples

1 - (SYM 95) Cultivating Joy in Military Couples: A Randomized Control Trial of the Marriage Checkup in Integrated Primary Care for Active-duty Air Force Couples

Saturday, November 18, 2023
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM PST
Location: Clallum (701), Level 7
Poor marital relationship health has been positively associated with a multitude of negative mental and physical health outcomes (e.g., Kiecolt-Glaser & Wilson, 2017; Whisman & Uebelacker, 2009). Effective tertiary couple therapies exist but are underutilized and have limited reach into the population (e.g., Christensen, et al., 2004). We adapted a brief prevention and early intervention relationship health protocol for use in integrated primary care with active-duty military couples. This study assessed the efficacy of the Marriage Checkup, as adapted to integrated primary care settings and active duty military couples, for improving relationship health, and depressive symptoms. Married couples (N = 244, M age = 32.4, 67.6% Caucasian) in which at least one member was active duty Air Force were recruited from bases across the U.S. via online advertisement, emails sent from medical clinics to enrolled beneficiaries, social media posts, and flyers, and randomly assigned to active treatment or wait-list control. Treatment and control couples were linked in pairs sequentially and pairs completed 9 sets of questionnaires at baseline, and one- and six-months post treatment. A 3-level multilevel model indicated, after adjustment for multiple comparisons, treatment couples experienced statistically significant small to moderate improvements compared to the control group (Cohen’s d from 0.21 to 0.55) at 1 month that were sustained at 6 months for relationship satisfaction, responsive attention, compassion towards their partner, communication skills, intimate safety, and depressive symptoms. The Marriage Checkup attracted couples across the continuum of relationship health and significantly improved relationship quality compared to a control condition. A longitudinal randomized control trial of the MC supports the hypotheses that the MC significantly improves relationship health across multiple domains. Implications for theory, treatment, and dissemination will be discussed. Brief preventative interventions lower barriers to care, prevent health deterioration, and effectively improve relationship health functioning.