Couple Therapy for Partner Aggression: Effects on Individual and Relational Well-Being

Abstract

The authors examined degrees to which couple therapy for psychological and mild to moderate physical partner aggression improved partners’ general distrust in each other and their emotional comfort regarding engaging in a conflict-resolution discussion. A secondary analysis was conducted on data from 55 heterosexual couples who sought treatment at a university-based community clinic. Over the course of therapy, participants exhibited decreased general distrust in their partners, as well as decreased anxiety and increased positive moods prior to engaging in the discussion. Individuals’ pre-therapy levels of distrust, anxiety, and positive mood were correlated with their post-therapy levels of those outcome measures, and the male and female partners’ changes in distrust and positive mood were significantly correlated. Greater decreases in female partners’ physical and psychological aggression were associated with greater decreases in male partners’ anxiety, and there was a trend toward a greater decrease in men's physical aggression being associated with a greater decrease in women's distrust. Both men's and women's decreases in physical aggression also were associated with increases in their own anxiety. Couple therapy both reduces partner aggression and increases partners’ perceptions of safety in the relationship, but those changes are not necessarily correlated.

KEYWORDS:

• couple therapy
• partner aggression
• trust
• conflict resolution
• psychological aggression