The feasibility and effectiveness of a time-limited psychodynamic couple-focused therapy for adoptive parents: preliminary evidence from the Adopting Together project

Abstract

This article reports on a preliminary test of the effectiveness of Adopting Together, a time-limited psychodynamic couple-focused therapy model for adoptive couples. Fifty-one couples approached the programme and 50 were offered therapy (40 heterosexual, six lesbian and four gay male couples). The intervention took place in Cohort 1 between June and December 2015, and in Cohort 2 between October 2016 and April 2018. Data were collected at intake (T1), after 10 weeks of therapy (T2) and after completion at 20 weeks (T3). Participants’ scores at these time points were compared using paired samples t-tests, repeated measures ANOVA and chi-square tests. It was found that the programme had a positive effect in reducing depression and stress related to parenting, the quality of the relationship between partners and parent-rated child mental health issues, indicating that interventions in which the couple relationship has a significant focus can be effective for adoptive families. This is the first study that tests the effectiveness of time-limited psychodynamic couple-focused therapy for adoptive couples, and especially significant was its attractiveness to same-sex partners. The study is limited by the small sample, the absence of a control group and a 25% attrition rate for returned questionnaires. However, these limitations were mitigated by repeating the analyses in the two independent cohorts and by reporting confidence intervals for the obtained effect size coefficients.