Marital role dynamics during brief group psychotherapy: assessment of verbal interactions.

Examined the impact of brief group psychotherapy on the marital and sex roles of five volunteer couples who participated in two, 15-session, model therapy groups conducted approximately 2 years apart. Assessments are based on Hill Interaction Matrix (HIM) analysis of the style and content of marital partners' verbal behavior during the assessions. Results show that interactional correlates of traditional marital and sex role variations are attenuated, that communication between spouses is improved, and that the therapeutic quality of verbal behavior is enhanced over the course of therapy. Generally, from the perspective of interactional dynamics, these findings suggest that the group psychotherapy model that was being evaluated is an effective mode of brief, precrisis intervention for married couples.