Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol 12(4), Dec 2023, 201-217; doi:10.1037/cfp0000213
Intimate relationship distress harms physical and mental health, and effective couple therapies are underutilized due to barriers to access. Digital couples’ interventions (DCIs), including online and mobile programs, can improve access to effective relationship help. This paper outlines the state of the DCI field by describing seven currently available, empirically based DCIs and discussing key design and implementation issues along four key dimensions: Target populations, coaching, linked users, and intimate partner violence (IPV). Analysis of these issues points to a need for greater clarification of whether the program is intended for distressed couples (i.e., prevention vs. treatment) and for coaching models grounded in both theoretical principles and empirical evidence. Further, DCIs must continue to develop ways of addressing issues of safety and privacy that impact IPV risk, particularly when DCIs become available to the public outside the context of a research study. More research on DCIs is needed, both regarding overall effectiveness of the programs and on specific empirical questions regarding the most effective models of coaching, best practices for handling IPV, identifying which couples can benefit most from DCIs, and the role of individual versus dyadic work in self-directed relationship intervention. Although most DCIs are at the early phases of clinical validation, the available outcomes are encouraging and suggest a promising future for DCIs in improving access to effective relationship intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)