Brian D. Doss
Brian D. Doss
Assistant Professor
University of California, Los Angeles, 2004
Research Interests
Reviews and meta-analyses consistently show that couple interventions have significant and large effects compared to no treatment. However, few couples seek premarital counseling and only one third of couples seek marital therapy before getting divorced. Additionally, we know very little about how interventions work, factors that predict their efficacy, or the effectiveness of interventions in the "real world". My program of research seeks to further our understanding of research-based couple interventions and apply these findings to intervene with couples in more flexible ways. Within this broader framework, my research has three specific aims:
- Elucidate couples' help-seeking behaviors
- Identify mechanisms of couple interventions
- Develop and evaluate flexible couple interventions
Current Research
Web-based Interventions for Distressed Couples
Although several empirically-supported interventions to prevent and treat relationship distress have been developed, the majority of couples - especially high-risk couples - do not seek these face-to-face interventions. Thus, to improve the reach of couple interventions, this 5-year project funded by NIH translates a leading empirically-supported couple therapy into a Web-based format. After a series of pilot studies, 450 couples will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: an information group, a tailored feedback group, and a tailored feedback + Web-based intervention group. Couples will be assessed repeatedly during the intervention and for 1 year after completion.
Coparenting and Couple Interventions during the Transition to Parenthood
Previous research has repeatedly pointed to the transition to parenthood as an extremely stressful period that results in relationship distress and individual problems such as depression and anxiety for many couples. This NIH-funded project assigned 90 couples to a coparenting-focused intervention, a couple-focused intervention, or an information-control group and followed them and their infant for two years after birth. This study, which is currently in the follow-up stage, has two central goals: (1) Experimentally test causality of direct and indirect contributions of couple relationship functioning and coparenting on infant development during the first 24 months and (2) conduct a study of the relative effectiveness of couple- or coparenting-oriented secondary prevention interventions for moderate-risk couples during pregnancy.
Effectiveness of Treatment-as-Usual Couple Therapy for Military Veterans:
There are no published prospective studies of treatment-as-usual (TAU) couple therapy in the United States outside of university settings. Especially troubling, despite the numerous challenges facing U.S. veterans and their relationships, there have been no examinations of the effectiveness of TAU couple therapy provided to veterans. Initial results for 177 couples demonstrate that the average couple showed significant gains in relationship satisfaction during treatment. Benchmarking analyses demonstrated that these gains that were larger than would be expected from natural remission and were clinically equivalent to some, but not all, meta-analytic estimates of change in couple therapy efficacy trials. Future analyses will explore moderators and mediators of change, long-term outcomes, impact on individual psychological functioning, and cost-effectiveness of TAU couple therapy for veterans.
Selected Publications
Doss, B. D., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., Markman, H. J, & Johnson, C. (2009) Differential use of premarital education in first and second marriages. Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 268- 273.
Doss, B. D., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009). The effect of the transition to parenthood on relationship quality: An eight-year prospective study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 601-619.
Doss, B. D., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009). Marital therapy, retreats, and books: The who, what, when, and why of relationship help-seeking. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 34, 527-538.
*Hsueh, A., *Rahbar, K., & Doss, B. D. (2009). Qualitative reports of problems in cohabiting relationships: Comparisons to married and dating relationships. Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 236-246.
*Morrison, K. R., Doss, B. D., & Perez, M. (2009). Body image and disordered eating in romantic relationships. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 28, 281-306.
Doss, B. D. (2009). Expanding the reach and effectiveness of marital interventions. In H. Benson & S. Callan (Eds) What Works in Relationship Education? Lessons from Academics and Service Deliverers in the United States and Europe. Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development.
Lawrence, E., Beach, S. R. H., & Doss, B. D. (2009). Couple and family processes in DSM-V. In J. Bray and M. Stanton (Eds). Handbook of Family Psychology. New York: Blackwell Publishing
Sevier, M., Eldridge, K., Jones, J., Doss, B. D., & Christensen, A. (2008). Observed changes in communication during traditional and integrative behavioral couple therapy. Behavior Therapy, 39, 137-150.
*Mitchell, A. E., *Castellani, A. M., *Sheffield, R. L., *Joseph, J. I., Doss, B. D., & Snyder, D. K. (2008). Determinants of intimacy in couple relationships: An observational study. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 21-29.
Simpson, L., Doss, B. D., Wheeler, J., & Christensen, A. (2007). Relationship violence among couples seeking therapy: Common couple violence or battering? Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33, 270-283.
Doss, B. D., *Mitchell, A. E., & *De la Garza-Mercer, F. (2007). Marital distress. In M. Hersen and J. Rosqvist (Eds.) Handbook of Assessment, Conceptualization, and Treatment (pp. 563-589). New York: Wiley & Sons.
Doss, B. D., & Christensen, A. (2006). Acceptance in romantic relationships: The Frequency and Acceptability of Partner Behavior Inventory. Psychological Assessment, 18, 289-302.
Doss, B. D., & Atkins, D. C. (2006). Investigating treatment mediators when simple random assignment to a control group is not possible. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 13, 321- 336. (followed by commentaries)
Doss, B. D., Thum, Y. M., Sevier, M., Atkins, D. C., & Christensen, A. (2005). Improving relationships: Mechanisms of change in couple therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 624-633.
Atkins, D. C., Berns, S. B., George, W. H., Doss, B. D., Gattis, K., & Christensen, A. (2005). Prediction of response to treatment in a randomized clinical trial of marital therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 893-903.
Snyder, D. K., & Doss, B. D. (2005). Treating infidelity: Clinical and ethical directions. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61,1453-1465.
Christensen, A., Doss, B. D., & Atkins, D. C. (2005) A science of couple therapy: For what should we seek empirical support? In W. M. Pinsof and J. Lebow (Eds.) Family psychology: The art of the science (pp. 43-64). Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press
Doss, B. D. (2004). Changing the way we study change in psychotherapy. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 368-386. (followed by commentaries)
Doss, B. D., Simpson, L. S., & Christensen, A. (2004). Why do couples seek marital therapy? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 35, 608-614.
Doss, B. D., Atkins, D. C., & Christensen, A. (2003). Who's dragging their feet? Husbands and wives seeking marital therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 29, 165-177.
Doss, B. D., Jones, J. T., & Christensen, A. (2002). Integrative Couples Therapy. In F. W. Kaslow and J. Lebow (Eds.) Comprehensive Handbook of Psychotherapy: Integrative and Eclectic Therapies (pp. 387-410). New York: Wiley & Sons.
Jones, J. T., Doss, B. D., & Christensen, A. (2001). Integrative Couples Therapy. In J. Harvey (Ed.) Close, Romantic Relationships: Maintenance and Enhancement (pp. 321-344). New York: Erlbalm.
Note: * Indicates student author
Teaching
- Sample Syllabi
- Psy 481 Close Relationships