Predicting Couples' Response to Marital Therapy: A Comparison of Short- and Long-Term Predictors

This study identified predictors of couples' response to marital therapy at termination and 4 years posttreatment for 55 couples receiving either behavioral or insight-oriented marital therapy. Couples were more likely to remain maritally distressed at termination if either spouse reported high levels of negative marital affect or depressive symptomatology at intake. Couples were more likely to be divorced or maritally distressed 4 years after completing therapy if spouses' intake measures reflected high levels of negative marital affect, poor problem-solving skills, low psychological resilience, high levels of depression, low emotional responsiveness, or if neither spouse was employed at a semiskilled or higher level position. Termination measures of negative marital affect and poor communication skills also predicted couples' status at 4-year follow-up. Joint contingency tables relating predictors to outcome were constructed.