Couple therapy as a treatment for depression: II. The effects of relationship quality and therapy on depressive relapse

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of behavioral couple therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and their combination on female depression 6 and 12 months after therapy ended. We predicted that couples receiving a behavioral couple treatment would be less likely to relapse than those receiving a cognitive-behavioral treatment for the depressed spouse alone. Relapse rates, however, did not discriminate between treatments at any follow-up point. Reductions in husband and wife dysphoria and increases in wife facilitative behavior during therapy predicted recovery. Moreover, high rates of husbands' facilitative behavior at posttest were associated with wife recovery and predicted low levels of depression at the 1-year follow-up.