Skip to main content
ABCT 2025 59th Annual Convention Main banner
Psychology Tools Ad
Final Program


Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Presentation Icons
Recorded Session
Recorded Session
Ticketed Session
Ticketed Session

Symposia

Addictive Behaviors

Romantic Relationship Dynamics and Alcohol Use: Rigorous Science Aimed at Understanding Relationship Factors Related to Use and Efforts to Improve Treatment Outcomes by Involving Romantic Partners

1 - (SYM 21) Alcohol Behavioral Couple Therapy Delivered via Telehealth in a Clinical Trial Setting: A Mixed-methods Examination

Friday, November 21, 2025
5:03 PM - 5:22 PM CST
Location: Empire A, Level 2
Keywords: Addictive Behaviors, Couples / Close Relationships, Underserved Populations
Recommended Readings: McCrady, B.S., Wilson, A.D., Muñoz, R.E., Fink, B.C., Fokas, K. and Borders, A. (2016), Alcohol-Focused Behavioral Couple Therapy. Fam. Proc., 55: 443-459. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12231,   Derrick, J. L., Testa, M., Wang, W., & Leonard, K. E. (2023). Elixir of love or venom of violence: When does a drinking event result in couple intimacy or couple conflict?. Addictive behaviors, 136, 107488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107488,   Stewart, S. H., Rodriguez, L. M., Mackinnon, S. P., Brown, C. G., Arjona, R. N., Cosman, T., & Sherry, S. B. (2023). Links Between Romantic Relationship Dysfunction and Drinking Behaviors Are Moderated by Gender and Age. Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 84(3), 465–475. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.22-00278,   Leone, R. M., Jarnecke, A. M., Gilmore, A. K., & Flanagan, J. C. (2022). Alcohol use problems and conflict among couples: A preliminary investigation of the moderating effects of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies. Couple & family psychology, 11(4), 290–299. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000160,   Mutschler, C., Malivoire, B. L., Schumm, J. A., & Monson, C. M. (2022). Mechanisms and moderators of behavioural couples therapy for alcohol and substance use disorders: an updated review of the literature. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 50(3), 312–333. doi:10.1017/S1352465822000042
Abstract Body



Background: Various structural, systemic, and other barriers to accessing evidence-based treatment are greatly reduced by telehealth. Yet, there is a surprising and persistent scarcity of research examining telehealth delivery of evidence-based alcohol use disorder (AUD) interventions in any population, regardless of whether the intervention is individual or dyadic. Although the importance of examining dyadic AUD treatment delivery via telehealth has been described previously (McCrady & Flanagan, 2021; Schumm & Renno, 2022), no study to our knowledge has examined the quality of treatment outcomes in comparison to in-person delivery.



Method: Participants were N=96 couples (ages 19-73 years [Mage = 40.69, SD = 12.55])  enrolled in a clinical trial in which all participants received Alcohol Behavioral Couple Therapy (ABCT). Couples who participated entirely in person (n=15) were compared to those who completed at least one session via telehealth (n=81). Using t-tests and generalized linear mixed modeling (GLMMs), we tested the hypothesis that outcomes of ABCT delivered via telehealth would be equivalent to or better than in-person ABCT delivery in terms of: 1) end-of treatment feasibility and acceptability (number of sessions attended, participant and therapist-rated therapeutic alliance [HAQ-C; HAQ-T]), 2) alcohol consumption (TLFB; percent days drinking [PDD]; percent heavy drinking days [PHDD]), 3) alcohol problem severity (AUDIT), and 4) relationship adjustment (DAS-7). Qualitative feedback from participants will also be presented.



Results: Results indicate that those who participated with some telehealth completed more ABCT sessions on average (10.4 vs. 9.3, p=.007), evidenced greater reductions in PDD (F=6.76, p=.01) and marginally greater reductions in PHDD (F=3.43, p=.066) compared to those who participated entirely in person. Although both groups reported high HAQ scores, those who participated in person reported slightly stronger HAQ-C scores, on average, at end of the treatment phase (111.5 vs. 105.3, p=.028). There were no group differences in therapist-rated helping alliance, alcohol problem severity, or relationship adjustment.


Conclusions: These novel findings support the feasibility, acceptability, and rigor of ABCT delivered via telehealth, which can help offset critical and persistent systemic barriers often experienced by diverse populations in access and utilization of evidence-based couple therapy for AUD.