Relationship Help-Seeking in a Danish Population Sample

Hoe lang wachten mensen voordat zij hulp zoeken voor relatieproblemen? Een onderzoeksnotitie

Een vaak aangehaalde, maar slecht onderbouwde opvatting over relatietherapie is dat koppels gemiddeld zes jaar wachten voordat zij met relatietherapie beginnen voor ernstige relatieproblemen. Deze opvatting gaat vaak hand in hand met het idee dat veel koppels “te laat” komen en dat de vooruitzichten op herstel niet goed zijn. Dit is de eerste studie met een grote steekproef naar de tijd tussen het begin van de relatieproblemen en de start van relatietherapie (N = 270) of individuele therapie (N = 101). We hebben hierin een gemiddelde interval geconstateerd van 2,68 jaar; vanaf het begin van de problemen tot de start van de relatietherapie. De meeste koppels starten binnen twee jaar met de therapie. De bevindingen voor individuele therapie voor relatieproblemen zijn vergelijkbaar. De belangrijkste klinische implicatie is dat therapeuten zich geen zorgen hoeven te maken over het aantal koppels dat zo lang wacht met therapie dat hun problemen niet meer op te lossen zijn.

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Can and Must Expand Social Worker e-Interventions for Mental Health, Family Wellness, and Beyond

Both media and academic reports have highlighted COVID-19's negative impacts on mental health and safety in the United States, yet care and service gaps persist. Evidence suggests that a default to in-person service delivery did not meet clients' needs before the pandemic, and that unmet needs have ballooned since COVID-19 spread throughout the United States due to a combination of increased stress, social isolation, and fewer available services during lockdowns. This article reviews literature on online interventions' utility and effectiveness in preventing and treating problems likely exacerbated under pandemic conditions, including mental health conditions, anger, couple dynamics, parenting, and alcohol misuse. The article also describes barriers to evidence-based e-interventions' wider and more consistent use, highlights some vulnerable populations' unique service needs, outlines service gaps that online programs might effectively mitigate, and offers a path by which social workers can lead an interdisciplinary charge in researching, developing, and implementing e-interventions during the current pandemic and beyond.

How long do people wait before seeking couples therapy? A research note

A widely cited but poorly supported idea in the couples therapy field is that the average couple waits six years before starting therapy for serious relationship problems. This figure is often accompanied by the notion that many couples come "too late" and have poor prospects for recovery. This is the first large-sample study on the delay between the onset of serious marital problems and entry into couples therapy (N = 270) and individual therapy (N = 101) for relationship problems. We found an average interval of 2.68 years from onset of problems and entering couples therapy, with the great majority of couples entering therapy within two years. Findings were similar for seeking individual therapy for relationship problems. The main clinical implication is that therapists have little reason to be pessimistic about the majority of couples waiting so long before starting therapy that their problems are not resolvable.

Online relationship education programs improve individual and relationship functioning: A meta-analytic review

Online access to relationship enhancing educational resources are needed now more than ever, and there is a growing number of available programs for couples to choose. But, what is the evidence that these programs improve individual and relationship well-being? We conducted a meta-analysis, using random-effects, examining individual and relationship outcomes of online relationship education programs. We identified 12 publications included in the analysis, and found that online relationship education programs produced significant effects in increasing relationship satisfaction, communication skills, relationship confidence, positive relationship qualities, and decreasing negative relationship qualities. At the individual-level, we found that online relationship programs reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms, increased health satisfaction, and overall quality of life. Additionally, we found no differences related to gender, whether or not couples were identified as "distressed," whether or not the programs were "enhanced," or length of the program.