Classification of distressed couples: implications for clinical intervention

Abstract

This study relates marital therapy outcome to an empirically-derived classification system for distressed marriages, based on measures of individual and marital functioning. Results of a hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis identified four husband types and four wife types. For both husbands and wives, these types included four combinations of individual distress (low and moderate) and marital distress (low, moderate, and high). Overall, 45%. of distressed couples consisted of a husband and wife of the same type (for example, both partners having low individual distress and moderate marital distress). Further results supported the reliability of the marital typology, with high replicability across gender and clustering method. Classification of individuals was related to differences in global marital distress at intake, termination, and 6-month and 4-year follow-up. In contrast to previous typologies that have used only a single measure of either individual or relationship distress, the more inclusive typology presented here integrates a broader base of individual and relationship functioning, enhancing its relevance for planning and evaluating interventions in couple therapy.