Abstract:
This dissertation investigated the long-term efficacy of Support Focused
Marital Therapy. This study analyzed the six month follow-up data collected from
couples who completed the 12 session intervention. In addition to analyzing changes
in couple’s martial satisfaction and psychological distress, the study also investigated
the characteristics of couples who would most benefit from this intervention. The
results of the study suggest that couples who participated in this intervention did not
experience significant declines in martial satisfaction from post-treatment to follow-up
and were able to maintain some of the improvements they experienced during the
course of the intervention. Effect sizes for martial satisfaction were similar to other
marital therapy modalities and couples experienced reliable and clinically significant
change at levels slightly less than other modalities. Participants also experienced
decreased anger and psychological distress from pre-treatment to follow-up
This study determined that the number of years the couple dated and the
presence of children in the home were correlated with increased marital satisfaction at
follow-up. Therapeutic alliance was not correlated with increased marital
satisfaction. None of the demographic or personal variables investigated reliably
separated those who responded well to SFMT and those who did not. This thesis
continues the process of validating Support Focused Marital Therapy as an effective
tool for improving marriages.
