The Effectiveness of Couple Therapy and Relationship Support (ECoT)
19 мая 2026 г. обновлено: 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Short Manualized Emotionally Focused Couple Intervention: Five face-to-face sessions with a couple therapist.
- 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.
Обзор исследования
Статус
Запись по приглашению
Условия
Тип исследования
Интервенционный
Регистрация (Оцененный)
400
Фаза
- Непригодный
Контакты и местонахождение
В этом разделе приведены контактные данные лиц, проводящих исследование, и информация о том, где проводится это исследование.
Места учебы
-
-
-
Helsinki, Финляндия
- Relationship Counselling
-
-
Критерии участия
Исследователи ищут людей, которые соответствуют определенному описанию, называемому критериям приемлемости. Некоторыми примерами этих критериев являются общее состояние здоровья человека или предшествующее лечение.
Критерии приемлемости
Возраст, подходящий для обучения
- Взрослый
- Пожилой взрослый
Принимает здоровых добровольцев
Да
Описание
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.
Учебный план
В этом разделе представлена подробная информация о плане исследования, в том числе о том, как планируется исследование и что оно измеряет.
Как устроено исследование?
Детали дизайна
- Основная цель: Поддерживающая терапия
- Распределение: Рандомизированный
- Интервенционная модель: Параллельное назначение
- Маскировка: Нет (открытая этикетка)
Оружие и интервенции
Группа участников / Армия |
Вмешательство/лечение |
|---|---|
|
Экспериментальный: HUS Self-help 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.
|
|
Экспериментальный: 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.
|
|
Экспериментальный: 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.
|
|
Экспериментальный: 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.
|
|
Без вмешательства: 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.
|
Что измеряет исследование?
Первичные показатели результатов
Мера результата |
Мера Описание |
Временное ограничение |
|---|---|---|
|
Relationship Satisfaction (Dyadic Adjustment Scale)
Временное ограничение: 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)
Временное ограничение: 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)
Временное ограничение: 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.
|
Вторичные показатели результатов
Мера результата |
Мера Описание |
Временное ограничение |
|---|---|---|
|
Adult Attachment (Experiences in Close Relationships - Revised
Временное ограничение: 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)
Временное ограничение: 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)
Временное ограничение: 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
|
Соавторы и исследователи
Здесь вы найдете людей и организации, участвующие в этом исследовании.
Спонсор
Соавторы
Даты записи исследования
Эти даты отслеживают ход отправки отчетов об исследованиях и сводных результатов на сайт ClinicalTrials.gov. Записи исследований и сообщаемые результаты проверяются Национальной медицинской библиотекой (NLM), чтобы убедиться, что они соответствуют определенным стандартам контроля качества, прежде чем публиковать их на общедоступном веб-сайте.
Изучение основных дат
Начало исследования (Действительный)
11 ноября 2025 г.
Первичное завершение (Оцененный)
31 декабря 2028 г.
Завершение исследования (Оцененный)
30 июня 2029 г.
Даты регистрации исследования
Первый отправленный
12 мая 2026 г.
Впервые представлено, что соответствует критериям контроля качества
19 мая 2026 г.
Первый опубликованный (Действительный)
22 мая 2026 г.
Обновления учебных записей
Последнее опубликованное обновление (Действительный)
22 мая 2026 г.
Последнее отправленное обновление, отвечающее критериям контроля качества
19 мая 2026 г.
Последняя проверка
1 мая 2026 г.
Дополнительная информация
Термины, связанные с этим исследованием
Ключевые слова
Дополнительные соответствующие термины MeSH
Другие идентификационные номера исследования
- nro 20/2024
Планирование данных отдельных участников (IPD)
Планируете делиться данными об отдельных участниках (IPD)?
НЕТ
Описание плана IPD
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.
Информация о лекарствах и устройствах, исследовательские документы
Изучает лекарственный продукт, регулируемый FDA США.
Нет
Изучает продукт устройства, регулируемый Управлением по санитарному надзору за качеством пищевых продуктов и медикаментов США.
Нет
Эта информация была получена непосредственно с веб-сайта clinicaltrials.gov без каких-либо изменений. Если у вас есть запросы на изменение, удаление или обновление сведений об исследовании, обращайтесь по адресу register@clinicaltrials.gov. Как только изменение будет реализовано на clinicaltrials.gov, оно будет автоматически обновлено и на нашем веб-сайте. .