70 couples (married or cohabiting) will be recruited across 5 countries (12-18 in each country: Argentina, Costa Rica, Guatemala, MĂ©xico, and Spain). After their entry into the study is confirmed, couples will be randomly allocated into one of two groups: intervention or control (no intervention). In each country, both groups will have equal number of couples. Couples in the intervention group will receive 20 sessions of Emotionally Focused couple Therapy (EFT). Couples in the control group will receive no intervention during the study period (they will receive a shorter intervention after the trial is over). Participants of both groups will fill questionnaires before allocation, during the intervention period and after the intervention period. The main outcomes will be couple attachment, couple satisfaction and dyadic adjustment. The original timeline for the study was to start in Argentina and Guatemala in February 2020, and the remaining countries in September 2020. The study started in February 2020 for Argentina and Guatemala, but in April 2020 the process was postponed due to mobility constrains during covid-19 crisis. During these two months, the process remained in the recruitment phase. Therefore, couples were not randomly assigned. Due to an improvement in the pandemic situation, the study started in Spain in September 2021.We expect the remaining countries will start during 2022. The study period for each couple will be around 6 months.
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Change in Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS-32 and DAS-4)
Timeframe: Baseline and up to 6 months
Change in Couple Satisfaction Inventory (CSI-16)
Timeframe: Baseline and up to 6 months
Change in Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire (ECR-36)
Timeframe: Baseline and up to 6 months