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The Effectiveness of Couple Therapy and Relationship Support (ECoT)

19. Mai 2026 aktualisiert von: Petra Nyman-Salonen, University of Helsinki

The Effectiveness of Couple Therapy and Relationship Support: a Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized and controlled study investigates the effectiveness of relationship counselling and couple therapy in improving couples' relationship satisfaction and overall well-being. It compares four intervention groups both with each other and with a waitlist control group. The groups are:

  1. HUS Self-Help (Mielenterveystalo.fi): Participants independently complete online self-help tasks based on couple therapy, developed by Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) Psychiatry and Väestöliitto.
  2. Peloton Parisuhde (eng. Fearless Relationship) Online Course: Based on Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT), this course by EFCT trainers Eklund-Mikola & Pinomaa uses online lectures and exercises to help couples identify negative interaction patterns and strengthen their emotional connection.
  3. Short Manualized Emotionally Focused Couple Intervention: Five face-to-face sessions with a couple therapist.
  4. Face-to-Face Couple Therapy (Treatment As Usual): 1 to 10 sessions, with the therapeutic approach varying depending on the therapist's training.

The study is conducted at the Relationship Counselling Unit of the City of Helsinki's Social Services in Finland, which provides counselling and family guidance under Section 26 of the Social Welfare Act to couples with children living in Helsinki. A total of 200 couples from the unit's treatment queue will be invited to participate and randomly assigned to one of the interventions or the control group, with 40 couples in each group.

Participants will complete questionnaires at the beginning and end of the service, and at a 4-month follow-up. The questionnaires measure relationship satisfaction and well-being, among other things. The study also examines how individual, couple-level, and treatment-related background factors influence and mediate the effectiveness of the interventions.

In addition to the questionnaires, registry data, therapist assessments, and ongoing treatment feedback collected within the unit is utilized. The results will provide new scientific insights into the effectiveness of short interventions and their suitable target groups and can be used to develop relationship counselling work both within the unit and nationally.

Studienübersicht

Status

Anmeldung auf Einladung

Bedingungen

Intervention / Behandlung

Studientyp

Interventionell

Einschreibung (Geschätzt)

400

Phase

  • Unzutreffend

Kontakte und Standorte

Dieser Abschnitt enthält die Kontaktdaten derjenigen, die die Studie durchführen, und Informationen darüber, wo diese Studie durchgeführt wird.

Studienorte

  • Finnland
      • Helsinki, Finnland
        • Relationship Counselling

Teilnahmekriterien

Forscher suchen nach Personen, die einer bestimmten Beschreibung entsprechen, die als Auswahlkriterien bezeichnet werden. Einige Beispiele für diese Kriterien sind der allgemeine Gesundheitszustand einer Person oder frühere Behandlungen.

Zulassungskriterien

Studienberechtigtes Alter

  • Erwachsene
  • Älterer Erwachsener

Akzeptiert gesunde Freiwillige

Ja

Beschreibung

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Parents (couple) and blended families, and at least one of the parents is resident of Helsinki
  • Couples expecting their first child. The couple is experiencing one or more of the following (1) severe relationship conflict, (2) a serious threat of separation, (3) significant challenges in forming a family or navigating a blended family relationship.
  • couples eligible for treatment at the couple counselling faculty of Helsinki

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inadequate Finnish written language skills (the questionnaires are only available in Finnish)
  • if both spouses do not complete the baseline questionnaires within the given deadline.

Studienplan

Dieser Abschnitt enthält Einzelheiten zum Studienplan, einschließlich des Studiendesigns und der Messung der Studieninhalte.

Wie ist die Studie aufgebaut?

Designdetails

  • Hauptzweck: Unterstützende Pflege
  • Zuteilung: Zufällig
  • Interventionsmodell: Parallele Zuordnung
  • Maskierung: Keine (Offenes Etikett)

Waffen und Interventionen

Teilnehmergruppe / Arm
Intervention / Behandlung
Experimental: HUS Self-help for Couples
Verhalten: Self-Help Program for Couples
Self-Help Program for Couples (Mielenterveystalo.fi) developed by HUS, this online self-help program provides couples with psychoeducational content and practical exercises designed to enhance relationship well-being. Partners can complete the tasks together or individually. The materials aim to strengthen emotional connection and improve communication.
Experimental: Peloton Parisuhde (eng Fearless Relationship) Online Course
Verhalten: Peloton Parisuhde (eng Fearless Relationship) Online Course
Based on Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, this course by Eira Eklund-Mikola and Hanna Pinomaa uses online lectures and exercises to help couples identify negative interaction patterns and strengthen their emotional connection.
Experimental: Manualized Short-Term EFT-Based Couple Intervention
Verhalten: Manualized Short-Term EFT-Based Couple Intervention
Manualized Short-Term EFT-Based Couple Intervention is a structured program consisting of five face-to-face sessions with a trained couple therapist. Based on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), the intervention helps partners explore emotional patterns, improve communication, and strengthen their bond through guided therapeutic exercises.
Experimental: Standard Face-to-Face Couple Therapy (Treatment as Usual)
Verhalten: Standard Face-to-Face Couple Therapy (Treatment as Usual)
This intervention consists of 1 to 10 in-person sessions with a couple therapist. The therapeutic approach varies depending on the therapist's professional background and training. It reflects typical clinical practice and is not standardized, allowing for flexibility in addressing the couple's specific needs.
Kein Eingriff: Waitlist (control group)
Participants in this group do not receive any intervention during the initial two-month study period. After the waiting period, they are offered Treatment as Usual. This group serves as a comparison to assess the effectiveness of the active treatments.

Was misst die Studie?

Primäre Ergebnismessungen

Ergebnis Maßnahme
Maßnahmenbeschreibung
Zeitfenster
Relationship Satisfaction (Dyadic Adjustment Scale)
Zeitfenster: Measured at enrollment before randomization, after treatment (or waitlist condition) and at a 4 months followup.
The Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) is a self-report questionnaire assessing relationship satisfaction and adjustment between romantic partners. The scale measures consensus, satisfaction, cohesion, and affectional expression. Total scores range from 0 to 151, with higher scores indicating better relationship adjustment and satisfaction.
Measured at enrollment before randomization, after treatment (or waitlist condition) and at a 4 months followup.
Depression severity (Patient Health Questionnaire-9)
Zeitfenster: Measured at enrollment before randomization, after treatment (or waitlist condition) and at a 4 months followup.
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a validated self-report measure assessing the severity of depressive symptoms over the past two weeks. Total scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms.
Measured at enrollment before randomization, after treatment (or waitlist condition) and at a 4 months followup.
Anxiety Severity (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7)
Zeitfenster: Measured at enrollment before randomization, after treatment (or waitlist condition) and at a 4 months followup.
The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) is a validated self-report measure assessing the severity of generalized anxiety symptoms over the past two weeks. Total scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety symptoms.
Measured at enrollment before randomization, after treatment (or waitlist condition) and at a 4 months followup.

Sekundäre Ergebnismessungen

Ergebnis Maßnahme
Maßnahmenbeschreibung
Zeitfenster
Adult Attachment (Experiences in Close Relationships - Revised
Zeitfenster: Measured at enrollment before randomization, after treatment (or waitlist condition) and at a 4 months followup.
The Experiences in Close Relationships - Revised (ECR-R) is a widely used self-report questionnaire that assesses adult attachment styles in romantic relationships. The instrument measures two dimensions: attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, reflecting how individuals experience closeness, trust, and emotional connection with their partner. Scores on each subscale typically range from 1 to 7, with higher scores indicating greater attachment anxiety or greater attachment avoidance.
Measured at enrollment before randomization, after treatment (or waitlist condition) and at a 4 months followup.
Reflective Functioning (Reflective Functioning Questionnaire)
Zeitfenster: Measured at enrollment before randomization, after treatment (or waitlist condition) and at a 4 months followup.
The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire - RFQ-8 is a brief self-report measure developed by Fonagy and colleagues to assess reflective functioning, or mentalizing-the ability to understand one's own and others' thoughts, feelings, and intentions. In couple research, it helps evaluate how well partners can interpret each other's behavior in emotionally meaningful ways, which is essential for healthy communication and emotional connection.
Measured at enrollment before randomization, after treatment (or waitlist condition) and at a 4 months followup.
Communication Patterns (Communication Patterns Questionnaire)
Zeitfenster: Masured at enrollment before randomization, after treatment (or waitlist condition) and at a 4 months followup
Communication Patterns Questionnaire - Short Form (CPQ-SF) Developed by Christensen and Sullaway, the CPQ-SF is a self-report measure that assesses how couples communicate during conflict. It focuses on typical interaction styles-such as constructive communication, avoidance, and demand-withdraw patterns-providing insight into how partners argue and resolve disagreements in their relationship.
Masured at enrollment before randomization, after treatment (or waitlist condition) and at a 4 months followup

Mitarbeiter und Ermittler

Hier finden Sie Personen und Organisationen, die an dieser Studie beteiligt sind.

Sponsor

University of Helsinki

Mitarbeiter

City of Helsinki

Studienaufzeichnungsdaten

Diese Daten verfolgen den Fortschritt der Übermittlung von Studienaufzeichnungen und zusammenfassenden Ergebnissen an ClinicalTrials.gov. Studienaufzeichnungen und gemeldete Ergebnisse werden von der National Library of Medicine (NLM) überprüft, um sicherzustellen, dass sie bestimmten Qualitätskontrollstandards entsprechen, bevor sie auf der öffentlichen Website veröffentlicht werden.

Haupttermine studieren

Studienbeginn (Tatsächlich)

11. November 2025

Primärer Abschluss (Geschätzt)

31. Dezember 2028

Studienabschluss (Geschätzt)

30. Juni 2029

Studienanmeldedaten

Zuerst eingereicht

12. Mai 2026

Zuerst eingereicht, das die QC-Kriterien erfüllt hat

19. Mai 2026

Zuerst gepostet (Tatsächlich)

22. Mai 2026

Studienaufzeichnungsaktualisierungen

Letztes Update gepostet (Tatsächlich)

22. Mai 2026

Letztes eingereichtes Update, das die QC-Kriterien erfüllt

19. Mai 2026

Zuletzt verifiziert

1. Mai 2026

Mehr Informationen

Begriffe im Zusammenhang mit dieser Studie

Schlüsselwörter

Zusätzliche relevante MeSH-Bedingungen

Andere Studien-ID-Nummern

  • nro 20/2024

Plan für individuelle Teilnehmerdaten (IPD)

Planen Sie, individuelle Teilnehmerdaten (IPD) zu teilen?

NEIN

Beschreibung des IPD-Plans

Individual participant data cannot be shared due to strict confidentiality and data protection regulations. These data contain sensitive health-related information and personal identifiers, and sharing them could compromise participants' privacy. All data are handled in accordance with ethical guidelines and legal standards to ensure the protection of participants' rights and well-being.

Arzneimittel- und Geräteinformationen, Studienunterlagen

Studiert ein von der US-amerikanischen FDA reguliertes Arzneimittelprodukt

Nein

Studiert ein von der US-amerikanischen FDA reguliertes Geräteprodukt

Nein

Diese Informationen wurden ohne Änderungen direkt von der Website clinicaltrials.gov abgerufen. Wenn Sie Ihre Studiendaten ändern, entfernen oder aktualisieren möchten, wenden Sie sich bitte an register@clinicaltrials.gov. Sobald eine Änderung auf clinicaltrials.gov implementiert wird, wird diese automatisch auch auf unserer Website aktualisiert .

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