Effectiveness of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment in Reducing Depression Associated with Marital Problems

Abstract

Background: Different methods have been used to treat depression caused by marital relationships. Objectives: The present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment in decreasing depression associated with marital problems. Methods: The present controlled clinical trial was conducted on a statistical population comprising all women with depression associated with marital problems presenting to psychological clinics in Mashhad, Iran. Thirty five of these patients were randomly selected and assigned to an intervention group and a control group. Twelve sessions of group therapy were held in the intervention group based on the unified protocol for transdiagnostic disorders, whereas members of the control group participated in a language course. The structured clinical interview for DSM-IV (SCID), the Beck Depression Inventory-II and the communication patterns questionnaire were used to collect the data. Results: The pre-treatment and post-treatment scores obtained from ANCOVA showed significant differences in depression (P < 0.05), the mutual avoidance of communication subscale (P < 0.05), the mutual constructive communication subscale (P < 0.05) and the demand/withdraw subscale (P < 0.05). Conclusions: According to the obtained findings, the unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment can be considered effective in improving the symptoms of depression associated with marital relationships.

A comparison of transdiagnostic behavior therapy (TBT) and behavioral activation treatment for depression (BATD) in veterans with major depressive disorder

“…This study is the first to demonstrate the efficacy of a transdiagnostic psychotherapy protocol for affective or emotional disorders in a principal depression sample and in comparison to a disorder‐specific therapy for depression. These findings expand previous data on improvement in comorbid depressive symptoms in patients with primary anxiety disorders for GCBT and UP (Steele et al, 2018; Talkovsky et al, 2017) as well as preliminary findings comparing a transdiagnostic protocol to a placebo condition in participants with cooccurring depression (Bameshgi et al, 2019). In fact, the present findings suggest that TBT would be an effective option as a standalone treatment for depression with or without comorbid symptomatology, with similar outcomes to available therapies for depression (BATD).…”

“…GCBT and UP have been shown to be effective in addressing comorbid symptoms of depression in patients with principal anxiety disorders (Steele et al, 2018; Talkovsky et al, 2017). In addition, a small clinical trial demonstrated improved symptom reduction in a modified group‐version of UP compared with an English language training course in participants with cooccurring marital problems and depression (Bameshgi et al, 2019). Most data for patients with principal depression can be found for TBT, with patients with depression appearing in several trials (Gros, 2014; Gros & Allan, 2019; Gros et al, 2017, 2019).…”

“…Although studied previously, several limitations remain in the literature for transdiagnostic protocols in patients with depression. Past studies have focused on depression as comorbidity (Bameshgi et al, 2019; Steele et al, 2018; Talkovsky et al, 2017) or as one of several conditions within a mixed sample (Gros & Allan, 2019; Gros, 2014). A stand‐alone investigation of the principal diagnosis of major depressive disorder is needed to improve understanding of transdiagnostic protocols.…”

“…The study included a significant number of participants with principal major depressive disorder, providing the opportunity for additional investigation of their specific response to TBT compared to BATD in treatment outcome and associated process variables (e.g., attendance, treatment completion, participation, and treatment satisfaction). Based on the previous studies (Bameshgi et al, 2019;Steele et al, 2018;Talkovsky et al, 2017), we hypothesized that participants with principal depression would demonstrate similar outcomes in depressive symptoms across the two protocols. However, at the same time, we expected that changes in anxiety symptomatology would favor TBT compared with BATD due to its transdiagnostic approach (Gros, 2014).…”

Effects of Emotionally-focused Couples Therapy on the Marital Intimacy and Harmony of Maladjusted Couples in Behbahan, Iran

“…The quality of marital relations is expressed through concepts such as adjustment, satisfaction, happiness, and evaluation. Marital adjustment refers to couples' satisfaction with and happiness in their marriage (2).…”