RESEARCH_FILE
Andrew Christensen
University of California, Los Angeles
Known for:Co-developing Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy and long-term outcome research on infidelity disclosure
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“Staying makes me weak”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“I can want the years to have mattered and still choose what comes next. Those aren't in conflict.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Without planning a conversation or announcement, write down one thing you want in the next year that has nothing to do with managing this situation — then reread what you wrote and notice if it shifts what you're asking yourself.
Key findings
- 2014
Among couples treated for infidelity in a randomized clinical trial, those who disclosed the affair during treatment had five-year divorce rates near the trial's non-infidelity baseline, while couples whose affair stayed secret divorced at roughly double that rate. Infidelity and Behavioral Couple Therapy: Relationship Outcomes Over 5 Years Following Therapy ↗