Differential effects of experiential and problem-solving interventions in resolving marital conflict.

The present study compared the relative effectiveness of two interventions in the treatment of marital discord: a cognitive-behavioral intervention, teaching problemsolving skills, and an experiential intervention, focusing on emotional experiences underlying interaction patterns. Forty-five couples seeking therapy were randomly assigned to one of these treatments or to a wait-list control group. Each treatment was administered in eight sessions by six experienced therapists whose interventions were monitored and rated to ensure treatment fidelity. Results indicated that the perceived strength of the working alliance between couples and therapists and general therapist effectiveness were equivalent across treatment groups and that both treatment groups made significant gains over untreated controls on measures of goal attainment, marital adjustment, intimacy levels, and target complaint reduction. Furthermore, the effects of the emotionally focused treatment were superior to those of the problem-solving treatment on marital adjustment, intimacy, and target complaint level. At follow-up, marital adjustment scores in the emotionally focused group were still significantly higher than those in the problem-solving group.