Randomized Controlled Trial of the Marriage Checkup: Stress Outcomes

Astrid Bjørn Leth-Nissen; Hanne Nørr Fentz; Tea Trillingsgaard; Gertraud Stadler

doi:10.1111/jmft.12620

Randomized Controlled Trial of the Marriage Checkup: Stress Outcomes

Astrid Bjørn Leth-Nissen^*, Hanne Nørr Fentz, Tea Trillingsgaard, Gertraud Stadler

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Several couple interventions targeting relationship distress also show beneficial effects on individual mental health. Yet, strikingly few studies report effects on perceived stress. This study examined the effects of a brief couple intervention, the Marriage Checkup (MC), on perceived stress. We randomly assigned 231 couples to receive two MCs (Weeks 7 and 51) or to a waitlist control. Survey data were collected at seven time points over 2 years and analyzed using multilevel models. We found no significant between-group treatment effects on average stress at any time point. However, women, but not men, in the intervention group experienced decreased stress after the second MC (d = −0.23) and more women in the intervention group (26.5%) compared with the control group (14.9%) experienced reliable improvements in stress after the second MC. Overall, the MC did not result in main effects on stress but caused temporary reliable change in terms of stress relief for women.

Original language	English
Journal	Journal of Marital and Family Therapy
Volume	49
Issue	1
Pages (from-to)	242-259
Number of pages	18
ISSN	0194-472X
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12620
Publication status	Published - Jan 2023

Keywords

brief couple interventions
individual mental health
longitudinal design
Marriage Checkup
perceived stress

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title = "Randomized Controlled Trial of the Marriage Checkup: Stress Outcomes",

abstract = "Several couple interventions targeting relationship distress also show beneficial effects on individual mental health. Yet, strikingly few studies report effects on perceived stress. This study examined the effects of a brief couple intervention, the Marriage Checkup (MC), on perceived stress. We randomly assigned 231 couples to receive two MCs (Weeks 7 and 51) or to a waitlist control. Survey data were collected at seven time points over 2 years and analyzed using multilevel models. We found no significant between-group treatment effects on average stress at any time point. However, women, but not men, in the intervention group experienced decreased stress after the second MC (d = −0.23) and more women in the intervention group (26.5%) compared with the control group (14.9%) experienced reliable improvements in stress after the second MC. Overall, the MC did not result in main effects on stress but caused temporary reliable change in terms of stress relief for women.",

keywords = "brief couple interventions, individual mental health, longitudinal design, Marriage Checkup, perceived stress",

author = "Leth-Nissen, {Astrid Bj{\o}rn} and Fentz, {Hanne N{\o}rr} and Tea Trillingsgaard and Gertraud Stadler",

note = "{\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.",

year = "2023",

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doi = "10.1111/jmft.12620",

language = "English",

volume = "49",

pages = "242--259",

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Randomized Controlled Trial of the Marriage Checkup: Stress Outcomes. / Leth-Nissen, Astrid Bjørn; Fentz, Hanne Nørr ; Trillingsgaard, Tea et al.
In: Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, Vol. 49, No. 1, 01.2023, p. 242-259.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Randomized Controlled Trial of the Marriage Checkup

T2 - Stress Outcomes

AU - Leth-Nissen, Astrid Bjørn

AU - Fentz, Hanne Nørr

AU - Trillingsgaard, Tea

AU - Stadler, Gertraud

PY - 2023/1

Y1 - 2023/1

N2 - Several couple interventions targeting relationship distress also show beneficial effects on individual mental health. Yet, strikingly few studies report effects on perceived stress. This study examined the effects of a brief couple intervention, the Marriage Checkup (MC), on perceived stress. We randomly assigned 231 couples to receive two MCs (Weeks 7 and 51) or to a waitlist control. Survey data were collected at seven time points over 2 years and analyzed using multilevel models. We found no significant between-group treatment effects on average stress at any time point. However, women, but not men, in the intervention group experienced decreased stress after the second MC (d = −0.23) and more women in the intervention group (26.5%) compared with the control group (14.9%) experienced reliable improvements in stress after the second MC. Overall, the MC did not result in main effects on stress but caused temporary reliable change in terms of stress relief for women.

AB - Several couple interventions targeting relationship distress also show beneficial effects on individual mental health. Yet, strikingly few studies report effects on perceived stress. This study examined the effects of a brief couple intervention, the Marriage Checkup (MC), on perceived stress. We randomly assigned 231 couples to receive two MCs (Weeks 7 and 51) or to a waitlist control. Survey data were collected at seven time points over 2 years and analyzed using multilevel models. We found no significant between-group treatment effects on average stress at any time point. However, women, but not men, in the intervention group experienced decreased stress after the second MC (d = −0.23) and more women in the intervention group (26.5%) compared with the control group (14.9%) experienced reliable improvements in stress after the second MC. Overall, the MC did not result in main effects on stress but caused temporary reliable change in terms of stress relief for women.

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KW - individual mental health

KW - longitudinal design

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Randomized Controlled Trial of the Marriage Checkup: Stress Outcomes

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Keywords

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