What did the Jacobson Study (1993) reveal about couples' improvement?

What did the Jacobson Study (1993) reveal about couples' improvement?

• A. 60% reached non-distressed range by end of treatment.
• B. 50% showed no improvement.
• C. 25% reached clinical improvement but not non-distressed.
• D. Only 35% of couples with improvement were in the non-distressed range by the end of treatment.

Answer: (D)

In this question, the important idea is distinguishing between improvement and reaching a healthy, non-distressed level of functioning. The Jacobson study followed distressed couples undergoing behavioral marital therapy and found that while many couples showed reliable improvement, only about one-third of those who improved actually ended up in the non-distressed range by the end of treatment. That means progress can occur without fully normalizing functioning within the treatment period, highlighting the difference between reducing distress and achieving healthy relationship functioning. The takeaway is that improvements don't always translate to everyone moving into non-distressed status by the end of treatment, which has implications for goals, expectations, and possible need for ongoing work.

In this question, the important idea is distinguishing between improvement and reaching a healthy, non-distressed level of functioning. The Jacobson study followed distressed couples undergoing behavioral marital therapy and found that while many couples showed reliable improvement, only about one-third of those who improved actually ended up in the non-distressed range by the end of treatment. That means progress can occur without fully normalizing functioning within the treatment period, highlighting the difference between reducing distress and achieving healthy relationship functioning. The takeaway is that improvements don't always translate to everyone moving into non-distressed status by the end of treatment, which has implications for goals, expectations, and possible need for ongoing work.