A 4-session couples therapy aims to curb violence in veteran relationships

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: Veteran and Partner Inclusion criteria 1. At least one partner in each couple must be a U.S. military Veteran 2. Married, cohabiting, or in a committed relationship for at least 6 months 3. Cognitive functioning sufficient to provide informed consent and participate accurately (≥ 23 on the Mini-Mental Status Exam \[MMSE\]) 4. Veteran meets criteria for subthreshold PTSD or greater (Criterion A plus scoring 2 or higher on at least one symptom from each of clusters B, C, D, and E as measured by the PCL-5) 5. At least 1 instance of mild or moderate physical intimate partner violence (IPV) in the current relationship in the past year (as defined by the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale \[CTS-2\]) 6. Not currently enrolled in couple therapy 7. Participants taking psychotropic medications will be required to be maintained on a stable dose for at least four weeks before study initiation. This is because initiation or change of psychotropic medications during the course of the trial may interfere with interpretation of results Exclusion Criteria: Veteran and Partner Exclusion criteria 1. Any severe physical or sexual IPV (as measured by the CTS-2) at any time in the current relationship 2. Having a psychiatric condition requiring a higher level of care as assessed by the Quick Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders (QuickSCID), such as psychotic or bipolar disorders. Those participants will be referred clinically. 3. Severe substance use disorder. Nicotine dependence is allowed. Participants requiring specialty care for substance use disorders or smoking cessation aid will be referred clinically. 4. Current suicidal, self-harm behavior, or homicidal ideation and intent requiring a higher level of care or who are likely to require hospitalization during the study. Those participants will be referred clinically.