Linda Charvoz

Prevention of marital distress by enhancing the coping skills of couples: 1-year follow-up-study

This article presents a new preventive approach (Couples Coping Enhancement Training: CCET) aimed at expanding upon the scope of current prevention programs by focussing on stress issues and individual and dyadic coping skills. The cognitive behavioral prevention program is based on stress and coping research in couples and seeks to improve important skills with an 18-hour course. The effectiveness of the approach is examined with respect to 143 couples over a period of one year. The results show that couples participating in the program benefit in terms of a significant increase in marital quality and that intervention couples appraise their relationship even after one year as substantially improved in a number of domains (quality of marital communication, intimacy etc.). Our results support the importance of prevention for couples with low marital satisfaction even if they have been living together for many years.

Differences in Individual and Dyadic Coping Among Low and High Depressed, Partially Remitted, and Nondepressed Persons

Investigations of the individual and interpersonal coping resources of depressed persons are underrepresented in the field of research on depression. Whereas some studies have been conducted on depressed couples evaluating individual coping or social support from others, only a few studies have addressed the topic of dyadic coping, or the way both partners cope together. In the present effort, male and female participants with a current or past diagnosis of depression, all of whom were married or cohabiting in a close relationship, reported on their individual and dyadic coping and were compared on these variables with a matched group of control participants. Results corroborate previous findings on deficits in individual coping, and to a lesser degree in dyadic coping.

Marital Satisfaction: Psychometric Properties of the PFB and Comparison with the DAS

This study examines the psychometric properties of the French-version of the Partnership Questionnaire (PFB) and compares this questionnaire with the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). 225 couples, married or living together for at least 3 years, participated in this research and each partner responded individually to the PFB or to both scales. The results indicate that the structure of the PFB replicates the theoretical three-factor structure for both women and men. Moreover, the cross-language replicability of the structure was high. The correlation between the DAS and the PFB was also high (r = .79) and the three canonical correlation variates explained 58% or more of the variance of both scales. The PFB is sensitive to couple characteristics and the agreement within couples is high. The French-version of the PFB has good psychometric properties and seems well suited for measuring marital satisfaction for clinical and research purposes.

Attractors and Barriers to Divorce: A Retrospective Study in Three European Countries

Abstract A total of 711 divorced individuals from Germany, Italy and Switzerland provided retrospective reports on their perception of at-tractors and barriers to divorcing. This study combines the evaluation of macro-level variables (represented by three different countries) and micro-level variables (psychological variables) to better understand attractors and barriers to divorce. Among attractors of divorce, alienation was found to be most relevant, while alternatives were less significant for the decision to divorce in all three countries. Among barriers, the presence of children (for all three countries) and financial strain (for German and Swiss women) was found to be of primary importance. In general among macro-level variables, economic assets seemed to be of greatest importance.

Is the Partner Who Decides to Divorce More Attractive? A Comparison Between Initiators and Noninitiators

Five hundred eighty divorced individuals from Germany, Italy, and Switzerland provided retrospective reports on the perceived similarities and differences between themselves and their former partner and on their own and their partners attractiveness. Initiators and noninitiators were compared with regard to these different variables. Results demonstrated that most divorcees perceived themselves to be quite similar to their former partner. Initiating women were more likely than noninitiating women to perceive themselves as different from their former partner in personality, norms, and needs and to evaluate their former partner to be less attractive. Initiating men were more likely than noninitiating men to perceive differences with regard to the personality between themselves and their partners.

Auswirkungen der kognitiven Verhaltenstherapie, der interpersonellen Psychotherapie sowie der bewältigungsorientierten Paartherapie zur Behandlung von Depressionen auf das beobachtete dyadische Copingverhalten

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Bestehende Befunde sprechen fur einen bedeutungsvollen Zusammenhang zwischen der partnerschaftlichen Bewaltigung von Stress und dem Verlauf von depressiven Erkrankungen. Methode: Es wurden erstmals Therapieeffekte (Pra-Post) der kognitiven Verhaltenstherapie KVT (n = 17 Paare), der interpersonellen Therapie IPT (n = 13 Paare) und der bewaltigungsorientierten Paartherapie BOI (n = 17 Paare) auf das beobachtete offene dyadische Copingverhalten zur Bewaltigung von paarexternem Stress (SEDC: Bodenmann, 1997) bei Paaren mit einem depressiven Partner untersucht. Die Uberprufung erfolgte am Verhalten beider Partner mittels Varianzanalysen. Ergebnisse: Die untersuchten Therapieansatze fuhrten zu einer vergleichbaren Verbesserung der Depression sowie des dyadischen Copings der Patienten. Bei den Partnern hingegen unterschieden sich die Veranderungen bei den positiven dyadischen Unterstutzungshandlungen entsprechend des jeweiligen Therapieansatzes. Schlussfolgerung: Die v...

Die Bedeutung der Familie für den Konsum psychotroper Substanzen bei Jugendlichen

Zusammenfassung. Es wird die Frage untersucht, wie familiare Variablen den Substanzkonsum (Alkohol, Nikotin, Haschisch, Medikamente) von Jugendlichen vorhersagen. Als Pradiktoren seitens der Familie werden die Zufriedenheit der Jugendlichen mit ihrer Familie, das familiare Funktionsniveau mit den Dimensionen Kohasion und Adaptabilitat, die gemeinsam im Kreise der Familie verbrachte Zeit sowie die familiare Unterstutzung des Jugendlichen berucksichtigt. Die multivariaten Zusammenhange werden bei 381 Jugendlichen im Alter zwischen zwolf und 16 Jahren analysiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, das zur Vorhersage des Konsums psychotroper Substanzen die familiaren Bedingungen von Bedeutung sind und insgesamt im Durchschnitt rund 10 % der Varianz des Substanzgebrauchs aufklaren. Als zentral erweisen sich die familiare Kohasion, die Zufriedenheit der Jugendlichen mit der Familie und die Unterstutzung durch die Eltern. Bei mannlichen Jugendlichen ist zudem ein Moderatoreffekt des familiaren Klimas bezuglich des Zusammenh...

Auswirkungen von verschiedenen therapeutischen Ansätzen zur Behandlung von Depressionen auf das dyadische Copingverhalten

Background: Existing evidence documents a correlation between marital communication patterns and the course of depression. However, there is relatively little evidence regarding the impact of different therapy approaches for depression on marital communication. Method: Analyses of variance were used to examine the effects (pre-post) of cognitive behavior therapy (n = 17 couples), interpersonal psychotherapy (n = 13 couples) and coping-oriented couple therapy (n = 17 couples) on observed dyadic conflict communication of both partners in couples with a depressed partner. Results: All three treatments produced similar improvements in depression in patients and decreases in criticism/defensiveness of patients and their partners. Further the three therapy approaches showed different effects on the communication of partners. Conclusion: In view of the potential importance of marital communication for long-term course of depression as well as of the marital relationship, the current results suggest the benefit of including partners in therapy with depressed patients and the potential utility of COCT as treatment modality.