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Copyright of Family Process is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The current study sought to examine immediate and long-term consequences of college sexual assault (C-SA) among women with no prior sexual assault history. While much is known regarding the short-term negative impact of C-SA, the current study examines whether C-SA is associated with immediate academic and psychosocial consequences as well as long-term poorer mental health (depression, posttraumatic stress [PTS], anxiety) and interpersonal functioning (relationship quality, sexual and emotional intimacy). In addition, the current study explores potential moderators of these associations, including race, the nature of the assault, resulting injury, relation to perpetrator, and whether the assault was reported. A stratified design was used comparing women who experienced C-SA (n = 201) to women with no C-SA history (n = 203) controlling for age, education, race, and ethnicity. Results from a series of repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) demonstrated that across race and ethnicity, women with a history of C-SA reported lower grade-point averages, more missed classes, and fewer serious romantic relationships in college following the assault. Furthermore, results from a series of linear and logistic regression revealed that approximately 9 years later, women who experienced C-SA reported greater symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTS as well as lower emotional and sexual intimacy. These associations differed by a number of assault variables (assault type, relation to perpetrator, amount of fear reported, physical injuries sustained, whether the assault was reported, whether medical treatment was sought). The current study further confirms the significant and pervasive impact of C-SA associated with women's health and functioning, warranting further intervention to both reduce the incidence of C-SA and expand the reach of existing mental health interventions to survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a sample of 134 distressed, different-sex couples, this study investigated the effects of Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy and Traditional Behavioral Couple Therapy on sexual dissatisfaction and sexual frequency both during treatment and in the five years following treatment. Therapy effects depended on treatment type, gender, and whether sexual distress was identified as a presenting problem; while couple therapy may initially improve some aspects of the sexual relationship, impacts tend to fade over follow-up. Couple therapy may benefit from incorporating a greater emphasis on sex and inclusion of techniques from sex therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to various barriers, most relationally distressed couples do not seek couple therapy. With the COVID‐19 pandemic, many of these barriers are further exacerbated, while the need for relationship services has increased. To increase the reach of couple therapy both during and after the pandemic, we propose a stepped‐care model that utilises technology as a precursor to couple therapy and acts as an integral component of it. In this paper, we first introduce the OurRelationship program – an evidence‐based online relationship program that improves both relationship and individual functioning in several large‐scale, nationwide trials. We then describe how therapists can incorporate this program into an abbreviated, eight‐session course of couple therapy. We expect this integration will be useful to couple therapists from a variety of theoretical orientations and will address numerous common barriers to treatment including cost, scheduling difficulties and geographic distance from the therapist. Practitioner points: Couple therapists can leverage technology to increase their reach both during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic.The online OurRelationship program improves relationship and individual functioning in several nationwide clinical trials.The OurRelationship program can be integrated into an eight‐session course of couple therapy to serve couples who would otherwise be unable or unwilling to attend therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, same‐gender group‐based relationship education has emerged as a viable intervention to prevent relationship distress among same‐gender couples. However, many of these programs are conducted in metropolitan areas and lack the ability to reach rural populations. The current study sought to investigate whether two wide‐reaching web‐based heteronormative relationship education programs could positively impact same‐gender relationships. In a sample of 49 same‐gender couples, heteronormative relationship education had small (Cohen's d = 0.16–0.39) but reliably positive effects on key areas of relationship functioning and perceived stress relative to a waitlist control group. Additionally, when same‐gender couples were matched with different‐gender individuals with similar baseline characteristics, no reliable differences between the two groups emerged even though the program effects were sometimes half as large for same‐gender couples. Finally, same‐gender participants were as satisfied with the program as the matched different‐gender individuals. Though the results of the present study indicate that heteronormative relationship education can be helpful for same‐gender couples, additional tailoring should be undertaken to ensure that same‐gender couples experience as much benefit as possible. Estimates from the current study could be used in future studies to detect what might be small‐sized differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Family Process is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While the efficacy of couple therapy has been repeatedly demonstrated, most distressed couples do not seek treatment. To improve reach and overcome barriers to therapy, Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) was translated into a web‐based program, OurRelationship (OR). While both IBCT and OR have been shown to improve relationship and individual functioning, the goal of the present study was to compare the relative cost effectiveness of these two treatment modalities. In IBCT, 74% of couples experienced reliable improvement, compared to 55% of couples in OR. Within‐group Cohen's d effect sizes during treatment for relationship satisfaction were d = 0.87 for IBCT and d = 0.96 for OR. Relative cost effectiveness analyses revealed that even at the highest expense estimates for OR and the lowest expense estimates for IBCT, OR was more cost effective in creating reliable improvement once at least 229 couples were served and was more cost effective in creating large‐size effects once at least 153 couples were served. Cost‐effectiveness increases for both IBCT and OR as more couples are served; however, this cost savings occurs at a much more rapid rate for OR. These findings demonstrate that despite higher initial development costs, Internet programs are a cost‐effective option for dissemination either as a stand‐alone service or as an initial intervention in a stepped care model with more intensive in‐person services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Couples are increasingly utilizing newly developed online adaptations of couple therapy; however, different presenting problems could drive couples to seek either online or in-person services. This study compared the presenting problems of 151 couples seeking an online couple intervention for relationship distress (OurRelationship) with responses from 147 couples seeking in-person couple therapy. Presenting problems were generally consistent across gender and whether or not the respondent was the initial help-seeker. Online and in-person samples frequently endorsed difficulties with communication and emotional intimacy; however, they differentially endorsed trust, time together, and child/parenting difficulties. Therefore, while basing online interventions on existing couple therapies is generally supported, efforts should be made to tailor online services to meet the unique needs of this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim This proof-of-concept study examined if early trauma influences features of schizophrenia, consistent with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal ( HPA) axis activation. Methods Early trauma and current perceived stress were assessed in 28 treated schizophrenia cases, along with salivary cortisol, brain volumes, cognition and symptoms. Results Early trauma predicted more positive ( r = .66, P = .005) and dysthymia symptoms ( r -.65, P = .007), but less negative symptoms ( r = −.56, P = .023), as well as reduced whole brain volumes ( r = .50, P = .040) and increased amygdala to whole brain volume ratios ( r = .56, P = .018). Larger volume reductions accompanied cortisol levels: evening values predicted smaller whole brain and hippocampal volumes whereas afternoon levels only significantly predicted smaller brain volumes in women. Sex differences were demonstrated between early trauma and cognition, with better cognition in traumatized women than other women and no male effects. Current perceived stress was related to dysthymia (especially in women) and diminished sense of purpose and social drive (especially in men). Conclusions These results suggest that early trauma and current stress impact features of schizophrenia, consistent with stress sensitization and increased dopamine activity for treatment refractory positive symptoms, as well as the cascade of increased morning cortisol, reduced brain volumes, and depressive and deficit symptoms. Conversely, cognitive deficits and negative symptoms may arise from a distinct diathesis. The sex differences accord with the literature on human HPA function and stress responses. Early trauma may be a stressor in the aetiopathophysiology of schizophrenia, particularly for cases with treatment refractory positive symptoms, and may guide future treatment development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]