Systemic Couple Therapy for Marital Dynamics and Mental Health

NCT07736508 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: 484-25
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 48
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial (randomized controlled trial within a mixed-method study) is to learn whether Systemic Couple Therapy (SCT) can treat depression and improve relational functioning in married couples where at least one partner is experiencing mild to moderate depression and relational distress. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does Systemic Couple Therapy improve relationship quality, marital communication, dyadic coping, interpersonal functioning, and overall mental health?
• Does Systemic Couple Therapy reduce depressive symptoms compared to Treatment-as-Usual (TAU)? Researchers will compare Systemic Couple Therapy (intervention group) with Treatment-as-Usual (control group) to see if SCT leads to greater improvements in mental health and relational outcomes and greater reduction in depression. Participants will:
• Complete standardized psychological assessments at baseline, post-treatment (8 weeks), and 3-month follow-up
• Participate in 8 weekly Systemic Couple Therapy sessions (intervention group)
• Receive Treatment-as-Usual such as routine couple therapy services or medication (control group)

Conditions

Depression

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Relationship Quality

  Relationship quality will be measured using the Relationship Quality Scale, a 9-item self-report questionnaire assessing participants' perceptions of the quality of their current relationship. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Total scores range from 9 to 45, with higher scores indicating better relationship quality. Assessments will be conducted at baseline (August) after enrollment, post-intervention (8-weeks )(September), and the 3-month follow-up (December).

  Assessed at baseline (after enrollment and prior to intervention), immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention, and 3 months after completion of the intervention.

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Depression

  Assessed at baseline (after enrollment and prior to intervention), immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention, and 3 months after completion of the intervention.

• Marital Communication

  Assessed at baseline (after enrollment and prior to intervention), immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention, and 3 months after completion of the intervention.

• Dyadic coping

  Assessed at baseline (after enrollment and prior to intervention), immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention, and 3 months after completion of the intervention.

• Interpersonal relationships

  Assessed at baseline (after enrollment and prior to intervention), immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention, and 3 months after completion of the intervention.

• Mental Health

  Assessed at baseline (after enrollment and prior to intervention), immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention, and 3 months after completion of the intervention.

Study Arms (2)

Systemic Couple Therapy

EXPERIMENTAL

Systemic Couple Therapy

Behavioral: Systemic Couple Therapy

TAU

NO INTERVENTION

Treatment As Usual

Interventions

Systemic Couple Therapy BEHAVIORAL

Systemic Couple Therapy for Depressive Sample

Systemic Couple Therapy

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Participant must be 18 years or older to participate in the study.
• At least one partner must meet the diagnostic criteria for depression (mild to moderate) as defined by the DSM-5 TR.
• Participants must be married for at least a year to ensure adequate context for systemic couple therapy.
• Both partners must agree to participate in the study, showing their willingness to engage in the intervention and complete all required assessments.

You may not qualify if:

• Participants with severe depression, psychosis, bipolar disorder, or active substance use disorder will be excluded from the study due to potential interference with therapy.
• Participants currently engaged in ongoing individual psychotherapy during the study period will be excluded to avoid confounding treatment effects.
• Additionally, couples will be excluded if there is presence of domestic violence or abuse, as identified during the initial screening or clinical interview, to ensure participant safety.
• Couple who will be undergoing legal separation or divorce proceedings will not be eligible to participate, as the focus of the systemic couple therapy is relational commitment and stability.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Tamkeen Saleem, Phd

CONTACT

923325412281; tamkeen.dcp@stmu.edu.pk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor of Clinical Psychology

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 19, 2026
• First Posted: July 30, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Last Updated: July 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07