CouplesNCT04776564
Effectiveness and Satisfaction With the Gottman Couple Enhancement Course
An observational study of Couples, run by Rune Zahl-Olsen at 1 site in Norway.
Trial summary
This project will investigate the Gottman 7 principle couple course (G7P) in the Norwegian setting offered at different sites and for different groups of the population. A control group of couples will serve as a baseline. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 99 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Couples
- What is being tested?
- Participation in the couple enhancement program
- How many people
- 732 participants
- Where
- 1 siteNorway
- Study dates
- 1 Mar 2021to 7 Jun 2022
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 99 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Community sample and adult clients in specialist health care services wanting to strengthen their couple relationship
Who may be able to join
- Participating in a G7P course
Who cannot join
- None, except for if they do not sign the consent
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Effectiveness and Satisfaction With the Gottman 7 Principles Couple Enhancement Courses in Norway
This project will investigate the Gottman 7 principle couple course (G7P) in the Norwegian setting offered at different sites and for different groups of the population.
A control group of couples will serve as a baseline.
The study will bring knowledge about the participants experiences with the G7P and the effectiveness of the course on improving the couple relationship.
Read the detailed description
This project will investigate the Gottman 7 principle couple course (G7P) in the Norwegian setting offered at different sites and for different groups of the population, including a sample of clients from the specialist health services. A control group of couples will serve as a baseline. The study will bring knowledge about the participants experiences with the G7P and the effectiveness of the course on improving the couple relationship.
The G7P couple enhancement program is translated to Norwegian and 200 trainers were licensed in 2017. Some of these trainers are professionals, such as psychologists and couple and family therapists and some are non-professionals. The courses are offered in communities all over the country and also for clients in specialized health care at Sorlandet hospital.
This project has a mixed-method design and will explore these research questions:
- Do Gottman 7 principles courses lead to better couple functioning from start to end of program and at 6 months follow up? And if so, for whom?
- Do different populations benefit equally from the course?
- Who join Gottman 7p courses?
- Why do they join a Gottman 7p course?
- Is there any difference in the experience of the course and the effectiveness of the course when a professional or a non-professional is the trainer?
- How do the participants experience the course and the usefulness of it?
Method:
To answer our research questions we want to obtain data through questionnaires and interviews, thus a mixed-method study. The project is a cohort study with three measurement points for the quantitative part and two for the qualitative part of the study. A control group of couples will serve as a baseline.
Quantitative sub-study:
Participants at G7P courses in Norway will be asked to participate in the quantitative part of the study. The participants are asked to answer some questions at the start and at the end of the course (t1, and t2) and six months after the course (t3).
Additional, a control group will participate in the study. They will be asked to participate through a) the Solide Samliv webpage and b) the Solide Samliv facebook page. c) advertizement on social media. The control group will answer to questions equal to t1 and t3.
Analyzes will be performed in SPSS, Jasp and R and both frequentist and Bayesian approaches will be used.
Qualitative sub-study:
This sub-study amnswers to research question 6: How do the participants experience the Gottman 7 principles course and the usefulness of it? Recruitment will take place through the G7P courses. The sample is recruited from those who signed the consent to participate in the study at the start of each course. The selection of participants will be based on variation in terms of informants' background (e.g. gender, age, length of the relationship, urban/rural), to illuminate the breadth of bereaved individuals' experiences. We are aiming at 18 participants. The sample shall consist of 6 men, 6 women, and 6 couples. Qualitative interviews will be conducted at two times: approximately at the end of the course and six months after the end of the course.
Data and method of collection: In-depth interviews will take place in part individually and in part as couples in a place chosen by the participants. The interview will be recorded by the researcher and then transcribed by external assistance.
Analysis: Thematic analysis of qualitative data (Clarke \& Braun, 2014).
- Conditions
- Couples
- Being tested
- Participation in the couple enhancement program
- Keywords
- Gottman seven principles couple enhancement program, Couple enhancement program, Couple satisfaction, Marital relationship
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Participation in the couple enhancement programOther
Participation in a 12 hour long couple enhancement program called Gottman seven principles (G7P)
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intensive courses | Participants on courses delivered within four days Receives: Other: Participation in the couple enhancement program | |
| Long courses | Participants on courses delivered over minimum four weeks Receives: Other: Participation in the couple enhancement program | |
| Clinical | Participants attending G7P courses delivered within the specialist health care setting Receives: Other: Participation in the couple enhancement program | |
| Internett | Participants attending G7P courses delivered as an online course Receives: Other: Participation in the couple enhancement program | |
| Professional | Participants attending G7P courses wihere professional health care personell are delivering the teaching Receives: Other: Participation in the couple enhancement program | |
| Non-professional | Participants attending G7P courses wihere no professional health care personell are delivering the teaching Receives: Other: Participation in the couple enhancement program | |
| Control group | A sample of couples from the public that do not at the moment participate in couple therapy or any couple enhancement programs |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Dyadic Adjustment from baseline to the end of the course
The Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS - (Busby et al., 1995) is a self-report questionnaire with 14 items.
The three sub-scales (Consensus, Satisfaction and Cohesion) and the Total-scale will be used as outcome measures
The min and max values are:
Consensus [0-30] Satisfaction [0-20] Cohesion [0-19] Total scale [0-69]
Higher values indicate better adjustment and clinical cut-off has been identified at 47.31 for the total scale, indicating a level of severity equal to what is found in clinical samples (persons seeking couple therapy).
Measured: Before the course start (Baseline, t0) and within one week after the last day of the course (t1)
Change in Dyadic Adjustment from the end of the course to 6 months after the course
The Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS - (Busby et al., 1995) is a self-report questionnaire with 14 items.
The three sub-scales (Consensus, Satisfaction and Cohesion) and the total scale will be used as outcome measures.
The min and max values are:
Consensus [0-30] Satisfaction [0-20] Cohesion [0-19] Total scale [0-69]
Higher values indicate better adjustment and clinical cut-off has been identified at 47.31 for the total scale, indicating a level of severity equal to what is found in clinical samples (persons seeking couple therapy).
Measured: Within one week after the last day of the course (t1) to six month after the course is finished (t2)
Secondary outcomes (2)
Change in couple satisfaction from baseline to the end of the course, with response shift.
Before the course start the participants assess their couple satisfaction on a single scale from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied). At the end of the course they are asked the same question.
Additionally, at the end of the course, they are asked how they now, after participating in the course, would rate their couple satisfaction at the start (1-5). This provide us with a response shift perspective.
Change will be assessed by comparing the change in the scores from start (t0) to end (t1), and by assessing the response shift (t0r).I.e. difference in perception from t0 and t0r and change in score from t0r to t1.
Higher values are better, indicating a more satisfied relationship
Measured: Before the course start (t0) and within one week after the last day of the course (t1)
Change in couple satisfaction from the end of the course to 6 months after the course
The participants assess their couple satisfaction on a single scale from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied).
Change will be assessed by comparing the change in the scores from the end of the course (t1) to six months after the course (t2).
Higher values are better, indicating a more satisfied relationship
Measured: Within one week after the last day of the course (t1) to six month after the course is finished (t2)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted1 Mar 2021
- Study start1 Mar 2021
- Primary completion7 Jun 2022
- Study completion7 Jun 2022
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for CouplesStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 732 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Rune Zahl-Olsen
- Sponsor type
- Other government
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Rune Zahl-Olsen, Sorlandet Hospital HF
- Investigators
- Rune Zahl-Olsen, Principal investigator, Senior researcher at Sørlandet Hospital HF
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04776564
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NSD-461755
- Status last verified
- Oct 2022
- First submitted
- 19 Feb 2021
- Last updated
- 1 Nov 2022
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: After the data are analyzed the data and the code is planed to be shared with researchers of interest
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Nov 2022. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effectiveness and Satisfaction With the Gottman 7 Principles Couple Enhancement Courses in Norway
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04776564
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- NSD-461755
- Conditions
- Couples
- Keywords
- Gottman seven principles couple enhancement program, Couple enhancement program, Couple satisfaction, Marital relationship
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 732 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Rune Zahl-OlsenOther government
- Study start
- 1 Mar 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 7 Jun 2022 (actual)
- Study completion
- 7 Jun 2022 (actual)
- First posted
- 1 Mar 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This project will investigate the Gottman 7 principle couple course (G7P) in the Norwegian setting offered at different sites and for different groups of the population.
A control group of couples will serve as a baseline.
The study will bring knowledge about the participants experiences with the G7P and the effectiveness of the course on improving the couple relationship.
Detailed description
This project will investigate the Gottman 7 principle couple course (G7P) in the Norwegian setting offered at different sites and for different groups of the population, including a sample of clients from the specialist health services. A control group of couples will serve as a baseline. The study will bring knowledge about the participants experiences with the G7P and the effectiveness of the course on improving the couple relationship.
The G7P couple enhancement program is translated to Norwegian and 200 trainers were licensed in 2017. Some of these trainers are professionals, such as psychologists and couple and family therapists and some are non-professionals. The courses are offered in communities all over the country and also for clients in specialized health care at Sorlandet hospital.
This project has a mixed-method design and will explore these research questions:
- Do Gottman 7 principles courses lead to better couple functioning from start to end of program and at 6 months follow up? And if so, for whom?
- Do different populations benefit equally from the course?
- Who join Gottman 7p courses?
- Why do they join a Gottman 7p course?
- Is there any difference in the experience of the course and the effectiveness of the course when a professional or a non-professional is the trainer?
- How do the participants experience the course and the usefulness of it?
Method:
To answer our research questions we want to obtain data through questionnaires and interviews, thus a mixed-method study. The project is a cohort study with three measurement points for the quantitative part and two for the qualitative part of the study. A control group of couples will serve as a baseline.
Quantitative sub-study:
Participants at G7P courses in Norway will be asked to participate in the quantitative part of the study. The participants are asked to answer some questions at the start and at the end of the course (t1, and t2) and six months after the course (t3).
Additional, a control group will participate in the study. They will be asked to participate through a) the Solide Samliv webpage and b) the Solide Samliv facebook page. c) advertizement on social media. The control group will answer to questions equal to t1 and t3.
Analyzes will be performed in SPSS, Jasp and R and both frequentist and Bayesian approaches will be used.
Qualitative sub-study:
This sub-study amnswers to research question 6: How do the participants experience the Gottman 7 principles course and the usefulness of it? Recruitment will take place through the G7P courses. The sample is recruited from those who signed the consent to participate in the study at the start of each course. The selection of participants will be based on variation in terms of informants' background (e.g. gender, age, length of the relationship, urban/rural), to illuminate the breadth of bereaved individuals' experiences. We are aiming at 18 participants. The sample shall consist of 6 men, 6 women, and 6 couples. Qualitative interviews will be conducted at two times: approximately at the end of the course and six months after the end of the course.
Data and method of collection: In-depth interviews will take place in part individually and in part as couples in a place chosen by the participants. The interview will be recorded by the researcher and then transcribed by external assistance.
Analysis: Thematic analysis of qualitative data (Clarke \& Braun, 2014).
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 7
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intensive courses | – | Other: Participation in the couple enhancement programParticipants on courses delivered within four days |
| Long courses | – | Other: Participation in the couple enhancement programParticipants on courses delivered over minimum four weeks |
| Clinical | – | Other: Participation in the couple enhancement programParticipants attending G7P courses delivered within the specialist health care setting |
| Internett | – | Other: Participation in the couple enhancement programParticipants attending G7P courses delivered as an online course |
| Professional | – | Other: Participation in the couple enhancement programParticipants attending G7P courses wihere professional health care personell are delivering the teaching |
| Non-professional | – | Other: Participation in the couple enhancement programParticipants attending G7P courses wihere no professional health care personell are delivering the teaching |
| Control group | – | –A sample of couples from the public that do not at the moment participate in couple therapy or any couple enhancement programs |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 99 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Community sample and adult clients in specialist health care services wanting to strengthen their couple relationship
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Participating in a G7P course
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- None, except for if they do not sign the consent
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Participation in the couple enhancement programParticipation in a 12 hour long couple enhancement program called Gottman seven principles (G7P) | Other | Clinical, Intensive courses, Internett, Long courses, Non-professional, Professional |
Primary outcome
Change in Dyadic Adjustment from baseline to the end of the course
Time frame: Before the course start (Baseline, t0) and within one week after the last day of the course (t1)
The Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS - (Busby et al., 1995) is a self-report questionnaire with 14 items. The three sub-scales (Consensus, Satisfaction and Cohesion) and the Total-scale will be used as outcome measures The min and max values are: Consensus [0-30] Satisfaction [0-20] Cohesion [0-19] Total scale [0-69] Higher values indicate better adjustment and clinical cut-off has been identified at 47.31 for the total scale, indicating a level of severity equal to what is found in clinical samples (persons seeking couple therapy).
Change in Dyadic Adjustment from the end of the course to 6 months after the course
Time frame: Within one week after the last day of the course (t1) to six month after the course is finished (t2)
The Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS - (Busby et al., 1995) is a self-report questionnaire with 14 items. The three sub-scales (Consensus, Satisfaction and Cohesion) and the total scale will be used as outcome measures. The min and max values are: Consensus [0-30] Satisfaction [0-20] Cohesion [0-19] Total scale [0-69] Higher values indicate better adjustment and clinical cut-off has been identified at 47.31 for the total scale, indicating a level of severity equal to what is found in clinical samples (persons seeking couple therapy).
2 secondary outcomes
Change in couple satisfaction from baseline to the end of the course, with response shift.
Time frame: Before the course start (t0) and within one week after the last day of the course (t1)
Change in couple satisfaction from the end of the course to 6 months after the course
Time frame: Within one week after the last day of the course (t1) to six month after the course is finished (t2)
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Nov 2022.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. After the data are analyzed the data and the code is planed to be shared with researchers of interest
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Rune Zahl-Olsen principal investigator
Senior researcher at Sørlandet Hospital HF
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Couples, run by Rune Zahl-Olsen at 1 site in Norway.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Nov 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Norway. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Dyadic Adjustment from baseline to the end of the course (time frame: Before the course start (Baseline, t0) and within one week after the last day of the course (t1)). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Nov 2022.