School of Public Health

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1633

The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.

Note: Prior to July 1, 2007, the School of Public Health was named the College of Health & Human Performance.

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    Couples' Depression Symptoms, Partners' Demand/Withdraw Communication, and Steps They Have Taken to End their Relationship, within a Clinic Population
    (2013) Ehlert, Nicole; Epstein, Norman B; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Research has consistently demonstrated an association between an individual's experience of depression and distress within their romantic relationship. Demand/withdraw communication has been identified as one possible mediator of this association, as depression has been shown to increase the likelihood that couples engage in this pattern, and this pattern has been shown to be destructive to a couple's relationship. Using the principles of family systems theory, this study examines whether depression may be associated with the dissolution of romantic relationships, using an Actor Partner Independence Model (APIM) analysis. The sample included couples who had sought therapy at the Center for Healthy Families at the University of Maryland. Results indicated both direct and indirect significant pathways between a partner's experience of depression and both partners taking steps toward leaving the relationship, with perceptions of demand / withdraw patterns as mediators. The study's findings have implications for clinical practice.
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    Depression in One or Both Partners and the Efficacy of Couple Therapy
    (2010) Juzaitis, Leanne Marie; Epstein, Norman B; Family Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Although considerable research has been conducted on common factors affecting individual therapy, little research has investigated common factors in couple therapy. The present study examines depression in one or both partners as one of the potential common client factors affecting couple therapy. The study uses data from 55 couples who sought therapy for relationship issues at a large university-based family therapy clinic that serves an ethnically diverse population. The results suggest that, at least within the range of depression represented in this couple and family therapy clinic sample, there is no difference in therapy outcome between couples experiencing mild depression and those with minimal to no depression. However, there was some evidence that therapy was less effective when the male partner suffered from depression. This study is important in redirecting the attention of couple therapists to males' depression as opposed to the traditional focus on females' depression.