Couples Therapy Delivered Through Videoconferencing: Effects on Relationship Outcomes, Mental Health and the Therapeutic Alliance
Changing technology, and the pervasive demand created by a greater need in the population for access to mental health interventions, has led to the development of technologies that are shifting the traditional way in which therapy is provided. This study investigated the efficacy of a behavioral cou...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89763 |
| _version_ | 1848765281251360768 |
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| author | Kysely, Andrea Bishop, Brian Kane, Robert Thomas McDevitt, Maryanne De Palma, Mia Rooney, Rosanna |
| author_facet | Kysely, Andrea Bishop, Brian Kane, Robert Thomas McDevitt, Maryanne De Palma, Mia Rooney, Rosanna |
| author_sort | Kysely, Andrea |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Changing technology, and the pervasive demand created by a greater need in the population for access to mental health interventions, has led to the development of technologies that are shifting the traditional way in which therapy is provided. This study investigated the efficacy of a behavioral couples therapy program conducted via videoconferencing, as compared to face-to-face. There were 60 participants, in couples, ranging in age from 21 to 69 years old. Couples had been in a relationship for between 1 to 49 years. The 30 couples were randomly allocated to the face-to-face or videoconferencing group. They all took part in Couple CARE-a couples behavioral education program which promotes self-change in order to increase relationship satisfaction. The six session manualized intervention was offered in an identical manner to all clients, in each condition. Data analysis was based on several questionnaires completed by each couple at pre, post and 3-months follow-up. Results showed that therapeutic alliance ratings did not differ between groups, but increased significantly over time for both groups. Additionally, the results indicated improvements in relationship satisfaction, mental health, and all other outcome scores over time, which did not differ based on condition. This study uniquely contributes to the literature exploring the use of technology to provide therapy. Specifically, the study provides evidence for couples therapy via videoconferencing as a viable alternative to face-to-face interventions, especially for those couples who may not have access to the treatment they require. It is anticipated that the results of this study will contribute to the field of online therapy, and add to fostering confidence in agencies to allow expansion of services conducted via videoconferencing. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:32:45Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-89763 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:32:45Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | FRONTIERS MEDIA SA |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-897632023-01-30T08:04:40Z Couples Therapy Delivered Through Videoconferencing: Effects on Relationship Outcomes, Mental Health and the Therapeutic Alliance Kysely, Andrea Bishop, Brian Kane, Robert Thomas McDevitt, Maryanne De Palma, Mia Rooney, Rosanna Social Sciences Psychology, Multidisciplinary Psychology therapeutic alliance couples therapy videoconferencing Couple CARE program relationship satisfaction mental health FACE-TO-FACE RELATIONSHIP EDUCATION DYADIC ADJUSTMENT SELF-REGULATION PSYCHOTHERAPY ONLINE MARRIAGE ANXIETY TELEPSYCHOLOGY TECHNOLOGY Changing technology, and the pervasive demand created by a greater need in the population for access to mental health interventions, has led to the development of technologies that are shifting the traditional way in which therapy is provided. This study investigated the efficacy of a behavioral couples therapy program conducted via videoconferencing, as compared to face-to-face. There were 60 participants, in couples, ranging in age from 21 to 69 years old. Couples had been in a relationship for between 1 to 49 years. The 30 couples were randomly allocated to the face-to-face or videoconferencing group. They all took part in Couple CARE-a couples behavioral education program which promotes self-change in order to increase relationship satisfaction. The six session manualized intervention was offered in an identical manner to all clients, in each condition. Data analysis was based on several questionnaires completed by each couple at pre, post and 3-months follow-up. Results showed that therapeutic alliance ratings did not differ between groups, but increased significantly over time for both groups. Additionally, the results indicated improvements in relationship satisfaction, mental health, and all other outcome scores over time, which did not differ based on condition. This study uniquely contributes to the literature exploring the use of technology to provide therapy. Specifically, the study provides evidence for couples therapy via videoconferencing as a viable alternative to face-to-face interventions, especially for those couples who may not have access to the treatment they require. It is anticipated that the results of this study will contribute to the field of online therapy, and add to fostering confidence in agencies to allow expansion of services conducted via videoconferencing. 2022 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89763 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.773030 English http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ FRONTIERS MEDIA SA fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Social Sciences Psychology, Multidisciplinary Psychology therapeutic alliance couples therapy videoconferencing Couple CARE program relationship satisfaction mental health FACE-TO-FACE RELATIONSHIP EDUCATION DYADIC ADJUSTMENT SELF-REGULATION PSYCHOTHERAPY ONLINE MARRIAGE ANXIETY TELEPSYCHOLOGY TECHNOLOGY Kysely, Andrea Bishop, Brian Kane, Robert Thomas McDevitt, Maryanne De Palma, Mia Rooney, Rosanna Couples Therapy Delivered Through Videoconferencing: Effects on Relationship Outcomes, Mental Health and the Therapeutic Alliance |
| title | Couples Therapy Delivered Through Videoconferencing: Effects on Relationship Outcomes, Mental Health and the Therapeutic Alliance |
| title_full | Couples Therapy Delivered Through Videoconferencing: Effects on Relationship Outcomes, Mental Health and the Therapeutic Alliance |
| title_fullStr | Couples Therapy Delivered Through Videoconferencing: Effects on Relationship Outcomes, Mental Health and the Therapeutic Alliance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Couples Therapy Delivered Through Videoconferencing: Effects on Relationship Outcomes, Mental Health and the Therapeutic Alliance |
| title_short | Couples Therapy Delivered Through Videoconferencing: Effects on Relationship Outcomes, Mental Health and the Therapeutic Alliance |
| title_sort | couples therapy delivered through videoconferencing: effects on relationship outcomes, mental health and the therapeutic alliance |
| topic | Social Sciences Psychology, Multidisciplinary Psychology therapeutic alliance couples therapy videoconferencing Couple CARE program relationship satisfaction mental health FACE-TO-FACE RELATIONSHIP EDUCATION DYADIC ADJUSTMENT SELF-REGULATION PSYCHOTHERAPY ONLINE MARRIAGE ANXIETY TELEPSYCHOLOGY TECHNOLOGY |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89763 |