Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan;51(1):e12757.
doi: 10.1111/jmft.12757.

Dyadic Associations of Suicidal Risk Predicting Relationship Satisfaction in a Clinical Sample

Preston C Morgan  1 , Heather A Love  2 , Quintin A Hunt  3 , Salena King  1
Affiliations

Dyadic Associations of Suicidal Risk Predicting Relationship Satisfaction in a Clinical Sample

Preston C Morgan et al. J Marital Fam Ther. 2025 Jan.

Abstract

This study investigated the prevalence of suicidal risk and associated trajectories of relational satisfaction in couples presenting for therapy using a national clinical data set, the Marriage and Family Therapy Practice Research Network (MFT-PRN). The sample assessed 296 different-sex couples attending couple therapy at sessions one, four, and eight. Nearly a quarter of couples indicated suicidal risk at session one. Dyadic latent growth models revealed that higher suicidal risk had a small but significant association with lower initial relationship satisfaction for men; thus, while the suicidal risk is associated with men's lower relationship satisfaction at intake, it may not continue to have impacts later in treatment. Alternative analyses of 27 same-sex couples revealed a quarter of couples with suicidal risk at session one and that suicidal risk was not associated with relationship satisfaction. Although suicide risk was not associated with changes in relational satisfaction over time, suicidal risk should be assessed for couples presenting to therapy.

Keywords: couple therapy; relationship satisfaction; suicidal risk.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Alder, M. C., W. J. Dyer, J. G. Sandberg, S. Y. Davis, and J. Holt‐Lunstad. 2018. “Emotionally‐Focused Therapy and Treatment As Usual Comparison Groups in Decreasing Depression: A Clinical Pilot Study.” The American Journal of Family Therapy 46, no. 5: 541–555. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2019.1572478.
    1. Barbato, A., and B. D'Avanzo. 2008. “Efficacy of Couple Therapy as a Treatment for Depression: A Meta‐Analysis.” Psychiatric Quarterly 79, no. 2: 121–132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-008-9068-0.
    1. Beach, S. R., E. E. Sandeen, and K. D. O'Leary. 1992. Depression in Marriage: A Model for Etiology and Treatment. New York: Guilford Press.
    1. Blow, A. J., A. Farero, D. Ganoczy, H. Walters, and M. Valenstein. 2019. “Intimate Relationships Buffer Suicidality in National Guard Service Members: A Longitudinal Study.” Suicide and Life‐Threatening Behavior 49, no. 6: 1523–1540. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12537.
    1. Bryan, C. J., D. C. Rozek, J. Butner, and M. D. Rudd. 2019. “Patterns of Change in Suicide Ideation Signal the Recurrence of Suicide Attempts Among High‐Risk Psychiatric Outpatients.” Behaviour Research and Therapy 120: 103392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2019.04.001.

LinkOut - more resources