Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy for Relationship Distress: How Maladaptive Beliefs Shape Relationship Functioning and Psychological Well-Being

Relationship distress is associated with poorer psychological well-being, including heightened stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy (CBCT) focuses on couples' relationship cognitions and interaction patterns; however, few existing reviews have synthesized the effects of specific relationship beliefs and attribution processes on relationship functioning and individual psychological outcomes. This literature review examines how hostile attributions, mind-reading expectations, catastrophizing, aversion to disagreement, and rigid destiny beliefs contribute to relationship distress, and how CBCT may modify these processes. Recent meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, longitudinal studies, and large-scale relationship research published primarily from 2020 onward are synthesized. The evidence indicates that CBCT-informed interventions can improve relationship satisfaction, communication, and selected indicators of individual well-being. Collaborative communication and reduced maladaptive attributional processing are plausible mechanisms, although causal evidence is still limited. CBCT appears most useful when cognitive restructuring is paired with behavioral practice and communication skills. Clinical interpretation should nevertheless account for cultural variation, contextual stress, unequal access, and the need for safety assessment when coercion or abuse is present.