The effect of relationship and marital interventions
Mapping review
|Updated
Commision to identify and sort existing empirical research on the effect of relationship/marital interventions.
Key message
The Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services was commissioned by the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir) to identify and sort existing empirical research on the effect of relationship/marital interventions.
Methods
We developed a search strategy, and conducted a systematic search of relevant databases in February 2015. One researcher screened all identified references to assess inclusion according to predefined criteria; these assessments were then checked by another researcher.
Results
- We identified 175 potentially relevant references.
- Of these references, 17 were potential systematic reviews, investigating the effect of relationship/marital interventions. 13 of these investigated the effect of relationship/marital interventions in general, whereas 4 summarized the effect of relationship/marital interventions among populations with a somatic or mental disorder (e.g., cancer, depression, substance abuse).
- We identified 158 primary studies examining the effect of different relationship/marital interventions.
- 129 of these references investigated the effect of relationship/marital interventions in general. 81 of these appeared to be randomized controlled trials, while 48 appeared to be controlled studies without random group assignment.
- 29 primary studies examined the effect av relationship/marital interventions among populations with a somatic or mental disorder (e.g., cancer, depression, substance abuse). 25 of these appeared to be randomized controlled trials, while 4 had a different controlled study design.
The findings of our search suggest that there is a need to assess the quality, scope, and relevance of the identified systematic reviews prior to initiating work on a new systematic review. However, the search shows that a range of primary studies exists. These studies might be suitable for inclusion in a systematic review if the identified reviews do not meet the commissioner’s knowledge needs.