Category: Couples / Close Relationships
Kayla Knopp, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Fellow
VA San Diego Health Care System
San Diego, California
Samantha Connolly, Ph.D.
Clinician Investigator
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts
Kayla Knopp, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Fellow
VA San Diego Health Care System
San Diego, California
Dev Crasta, Ph.D.
US Department of Veterans Affairs
Canandaigua, New York
Yunying Le, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
Kristen Whitfield, PhD
Masters Student
Ryerson University
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Ronald Rogge, Ph.D.
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York
The COVID-19 pandemic exerted a major strain on couples and families. Most adults in the United States reported increased levels of acute and chronic stress during the pandemic, which research shows contributes to relationship distress. Many couples also experienced work and income loss along with less financial stability, with the worst impacts for couples already experiencing economic disadvantage. Restrictions related to social isolation and quarantining limited housing options, potentially exacerbating the risk of premature cohabitation, high constraints, and domestic violence. Families with children faced increased childcare burden as schools and daycare centers were closed or at reduced capacity. And many of the avenues for social support (e.g., seeing friends) and connection (e.g., going on dates) that typically help couples to flourish were unavailable due to social distancing and stay-at-home orders.
Couple therapy can effectively help couples and families manage stress, reduce conflict, improve parenting, and bolster intimacy. Unfortunately, couples face many barriers to accessing therapy, including logistical challenges (e.g., coordinating dual work schedules and finding childcare), lack of insurance coverage, and stigma. Many of these barriers were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which not only strained couples' already limited resources of time and money, but which also made traditional in-person therapy impossible in most cases. Thus, technology-supported interventions that can provide accessible and effective care remotely, including telehealth, online programs, and mobile apps, have become a crucial part of meeting the needs of couples and families during the pandemic.
This symposium includes five presentations on the use of technology to provide access to couples' interventions during the recent public health crisis. These presentations demonstrate the potential of technology to facilitate the cognitive and behavioral treatments that are needed to care for the whole couple or family system. Dr. Kayla Knopp will present national electronic health record data from the Veterans Affairs healthcare system tracking the ability of telehealth to provide equitable family services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Dev Crasta will present implementation and outcome data from a telehealth implementation of VA Relationship Checkup for veteran couples with co-occurring mental health problems and relationship distress during the pandemic. Dr. Annie Le will present data addressing the impact of the online OurRelationship program on couples' coparenting during the pandemic. Kristen Whitfield will present data on whether baseline relationship satisfaction moderates program impacts for Couple HOPES, on online adaptation of Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD. And Dr. Ronald Rogge will present initial development and evaluation data on a new relationship wellness app, Agape, which aims to fill a gap in evidence-based mobile apps for couples. Finally, telehealth and mHealth researcher and expert Dr. Samantha Connolly will discuss these studies and the future potential of technology-supported interventions for couples and families.
Presenter: Kayla Knopp, Ph.D. – VA San Diego Health Care System
Co-author: Grace McKee, Ph.D. – Central Virginia VA Medical Center
Co-author: Janina Schnitzer, PhD – VA San Diego Healthcare System
Co-author: Leslie Morland, PsyD – University of California-San Diego/San Diego VA
Co-author: Shirley M. Glynn, Ph.D. – VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
Co-author: Samantha Connolly, Ph.D. – Harvard Medical School
Co-author: Scott McDonald, Ph.D. – Central Virginia VA Medical Center
Presenter: Dev Crasta, Ph.D. – US Department of Veterans Affairs
Co-author: Jennifer Funderburk, Ph.D. – Department of Veterans Affairs
Co-author: Tatiana D. Gray, Ph.D. – Springfield College
Co-author: James Córdova, Ph.D. – Clark University
Co-author: Peter Britton, Ph.D. – Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention, VA Finger Lakes Healthcare Center
Presenter: Yunying Le, Ph.D. – The Pennsylvania State University
Co-author: S. Gabe Hatch, M.S. – University of Miami
Co-author: Zachary Goodman, M.A. – University of Miami
Co-author: Brian Doss, Ph.D. – University of Miami
Presenter: Kristen M. Whitfield, PhD – Ryerson University
Co-author: Alexander O. Crenshaw, Ph.D. – Ryerson University
Co-author: Victoria L. Donkin, PhD – Ryerson University
Co-author: Robert Valela, BCom – Ryerson University
Co-author: Jennifer Ip, M.A. – Ryerson University
Co-author: Caitlin Martin-Newnham, MJ – York University
Co-author: sonya Varma, BSc – York University
Co-author: Alyssa A. Di Bartolomeo, PhD – York University
Co-author: Lindsay Fulham, M.A. – York University
Co-author: Alexis Collins, B.S. – Ryerson University
Co-author: Desiree Mensah, BSc – York University
Co-author: Meredith Landy, Ph.D., Psy.D. – Ryerson University
Co-author: Christina Samonas, PhD – Ryerson University
Co-author: Leslie Morland, PsyD – University of California-San Diego/San Diego VA
Co-author: Brian Doss, Ph.D. – University of Miami
Co-author: Anne C. Wagner, Ph.D. – Remedy + Remedy Institute
Co-author: Skye Fitzpatrick, Ph.D. – York University
Co-author: Candice M. Monson, Ph.D. – Ryerson University
Presenter: Ronald D. Rogge, Ph.D. – University of Rochester
Co-author: Jenna Macri, PhD – Agape Wellness Inc.