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Couples / Close Relationships

The Romantic Relationship Benefit: The Effectiveness of Couple-Based Interventions for Depression in Illness Contexts

(PS8-26) The Romantic Relationship Benefit: The Effectiveness of Couple-based Interventions for Depression in Illness Contexts

Saturday, November 16, 2024

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST

Location: Franklin Hall, Level 4, Marriott Downtown

Author(s)

HR

HyeRim Ryu, M.S., MFT

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Glenview, Illinois, United States

Co-Author(s)

Belle Tseitlin, B.A.

Ph.D. Student
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Buffalo Grove, Illinois, United States
BW

Benjamin N. Wall, B.A.

Research Assistant
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Jacinda Lee, M.S., MFT (she/her/hers)

PhD Candidate
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Chicago, Illinois, United States
TS

Tamara Sher, Ph.D.

Professor
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
North Chicago, Illinois, United States

Abstract Text: Romantic relationships have been consistently understood to have both beneficial and detrimental effects on physiological and psychological health. While satisfying relationships confer health benefits, discordant relationships can serve as both acute and chronic stressors, thereby negating or worsening any couple-related health benefits. Moreover, depression has been found to have negative health and relationship effects in both the depressed person and their partner (Whisman et al., 2012). While it has been well-established that couple therapy can facilitate more effective treatment outcomes for depression than individual therapy alone (Baucom et al, 2020), what has not been fully explored is whether couple based therapy is as effective as individual therapy for depression within an illness context. Given the high prevalence of depression rates and other mood disorders among patients following a cardiac event, the present study compares the effectiveness of a CBT couple-based (CBCT), post-cardiac intervention to a CBT individual-based, post cardiac intervention for reducing symptoms of depression. Data were collected on 64 male-female dyads in which one of the partners had experienced a recent cardiac event (Mage = 63, SDage = 13.6). Depression was measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Couples were randomly assigned to either the couples intervention condition or the individual intervention condition, both lasting 6 months. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the impact of both intervention conditions to assess differences in depression after the intervention and at a 12-month follow-up. Results demonstrate that there were significant group differences between the couples intervention and the individual intervention conditions among participants who endorsed symptoms of depression at baseline, with patients in the couple intervention condition showing more reduction in depression symptoms than those in the individual intervention condition over time [F (3, 74.2) = 4.87, p = .004]. Results further suggest that the partners of the patients in the couples intervention condition also experienced more reduction in depression symptoms over time than the partners of the patients in the individual intervention condition [F (3, 100.6) = 4.1, p = .008]. As such, both patients and partners in the couples intervention condition reported lower levels of depression over time when compared to those in the individual intervention condition. These findings underscore the effectiveness of couple-based interventions to reduce symptoms of depression, presenting notable clinical implications for prevention and response to mental health needs within an illness context. This is especially important in a cardiac population wherein disease factors and post-recovery behavioral recommendations affect both patient and partner relational, medical, and psychological outcomes. The present study thus provides support for innovative, relational applications of CBCT treatment to facilitate improvements in mood symptoms across both patients and partners.