Adaptation and Testing of Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Military Spouses

The psychological impact of current military operations on service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan is well established. A number of recent studies have also demonstrated high rates of mental health difficulties, especially depression and anxiety, in spouses of deployed service members. This paper describes the adaptation of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), an evidence-based treatment for depression, to target depression in military spouses. The principles of IPT are outlined, and the ways in which the structure and content of the treatment lend themselves to the military context are described. Finally, a study currently underway to adapt and evaluate the treatment is presented and aspects of the treatment are illustrated.