Dyadic discord and depression

Psychologists rarely use a simple word where a complicated one will do and dyadic discord is their term for not getting on with your spouse or partner. A team of researchers, led by Wayne Denton from the University of Texas, looked at 171 people with partners who were being treated for long-term depression. The participants were treated with nefazodone, the Cognitive Behavioural Analysis system of psychotherapy or a combination of both. The happiness of the participants' relationships and their levels of depression were measured before, during and after treatment. Participants with dyadic discord at the start of the study had much lower remission rates (34.1%) than those with happier relationships (61.2%).

Denton, W.H. ... [et al] - Dyadic discord at baseline is associated with lack of remission in the acute treatment of chronic depression Psychological Medicine March 2010, 40(3), 415-424