A relationship with a partner has been shown to be an important driver of wellbeing for adults in the UK. However, when relationships lead to conflict it can have serious consequences for the health and wellbeing of parents and children alike. Adults who are dissatisfied with their relationship are nearly three times more likely to experience a major episode of depression and nearly four times as likely to misuse alcohol. Children exposed to destructive conflict are more likely to experience depression or anxiety, have physical health problems, develop behavioural problems and do worse at school.
Tavistock’s Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT) for Parenting under Pressure exists to support the 12% of families that report relationship distress. It helps couples develop practical skills to support communication and problem solving, with the aim of reducing conflict and improving outcomes for the whole family.
We review evidence from the MBT programme in Hertfordshire to estimate the potential economic benefits generated from the programme. Our approach to valuing the wellbeing of participants is consistent with new guidance from HM Treasury.
Our analysis suggests that:
There will be other non-monetary benefits that were observed in the Hertfordshire evaluation but that cannot be included in our analysis due to a shortage of evidence on their monetary value. For example, data shows improvements on a range of adult and child measures, including significant mental health improvements for the group of parents (including those who did not cross the threshold for clinically diagnosable mental health difficulties); improved couple communication; reduced conflict about children and violent problem solving; and improved outcomes for children.
We would encourage Tavistock Relationships to continue gathering evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to help improve the quality of relationships. For example:
If we can combine the evidence on the importance of relationships in driving wellbeing with ever more robust evidence on how interventions can support and improve these relationships when they go wrong, then we can help to build a compelling case for a greater policy focus and more support to help improve the lives of families across the UK.