Change in marital adjustment following marital therapy: A comparison of two outcome measures.

Comparability of treatment outcome as measured by the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) and the Global Distress Scale (GDS) was examined for 49 couples who completed a behavioral marital therapy program. The GDS provided a more conservative estimate of treatment efficacy, as assessed by (a) computed effect sizes based on couple, husband, and wife scores and (b) clinical significance statistics based on couple and husband scores. This difference was hypothesized to be due in part to items on the GDS that assess historical dissatisfaction with marriage that are not affected by treatment. The GDS, however, continued to provide a more conservative estimate of treatment outcome even after controlling for the historical items. Implications of gender differences and suggestions for future research are discussed.