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For men, several studies have shown superiority of behavioral couples therapy (BCT), which involves substance-focused interventions to support abstinence and relationship-focused interventions, over 12-step–oriented individual behavior therapy (IBT), but few studies have focused on women. Investigators randomized 105 help-seeking women with alcohol dependence and nondrinking spouses or partners to either BCT plus IBT or IBT alone.
Both treatments involved 26 sessions in 20 weeks. The women had a mean of 13 years of problem alcohol use (mean age, 44; mean length of marriage or cohabitation, 16 years; white, 97%; employed, 57%; mean with school-aged children, 49%). The same therapists administered both treatments, and fidelity to treatment rat…