The Effectiveness of Trauma-Informed Couple Therapy on Attachment Security, Emotional Safety, and Intimate Partner Responsiveness among Couples with Childhood Trauma Histories
Keywords:
Trauma-Informed Couple Therapy, Childhood Trauma, Attachment Security, Emotional Safety, Intimate Partner Responsiveness, Couple Therapy, Attachment Theory, Relationship Functioning, Trauma Recovery, Romantic RelationshipsAbstract
The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Trauma-Informed Couple Therapy (TICT) in improving attachment security, emotional safety, and intimate partner responsiveness among couples with childhood trauma histories. This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test, post-test, and three-month follow-up design with an experimental group and a waitlist control group. The research was conducted in Canada among 52 couples (104 individuals) with documented childhood trauma histories who were recruited from community counseling centers and mental health clinics. Participants were assigned to either an experimental group (26 couples) receiving Trauma-Informed Couple Therapy or a control group (26 couples) receiving no intervention during the study period. Data were collected using the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire (ECR-R) to assess attachment security, the Emotional Safety Scale for Couples (ESSC), and the Perceived Partner Responsiveness Scale (PPRS). The intervention consisted of twelve weekly 90-minute sessions integrating attachment-based, trauma-informed, emotionally focused, and relational resilience principles. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc comparisons in SPSS version 29. The results of repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed significant Time × Group interaction effects for attachment security, F(2, 204) = 62.47, p < .001, η² = .380; emotional safety, F(2, 204) = 71.66, p < .001, η² = .413; and intimate partner responsiveness, F(2, 204) = 68.19, p < .001, η² = .401. Significant main effects of time and group were also observed across all outcome variables (p < .001). Bonferroni pairwise comparisons demonstrated significant improvements from pre-test to post-test and from pre-test to follow-up for attachment security, emotional safety, and intimate partner responsiveness in the experimental group (p < .001). No significant differences emerged between post-test and follow-up scores (p > .05), indicating maintenance of treatment gains over the three-month follow-up period. The large effect sizes obtained across all dependent variables suggest substantial intervention-related improvements in relational functioning among couples with childhood trauma histories. The findings indicate that Trauma-Informed Couple Therapy is an effective intervention for enhancing attachment security, emotional safety, and intimate partner responsiveness among couples affected by childhood trauma. By addressing trauma-related attachment disruptions, fostering emotionally safe interactions, and strengthening responsive relational processes, the intervention contributed to meaningful and sustained improvements in couple functioning. These results support the integration of trauma-informed and attachment-based approaches within couple therapy and highlight the importance of addressing the interpersonal consequences of childhood trauma in clinical practice.
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