Predicting Improvement in Depression Across Therapies Using Indicators of Romantic Relationship Functioning: A Preliminary Investigation

The purpose of this preliminary study is to expand research on the effects of relational processes on depression treatment outcomes. We tested whether initiator tendency, attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and marital satisfaction predicted improvement in depression for women with Major Depressive Disorder enrolled in a depression treatment clinical trial (n = 17). We found that higher baseline levels of partner initiator tendency resulted in less change in depression (worse outcomes), regardless of treatment type; higher baseline levels of attachment avoidance predicted better depression outcomes in treatment. Initiator tendency is discussed as a critical romantic relationship factor for depression treatment outcomes.