ABSTRACT
Depending on how indelity is dened, estimates indicate that 20-60% of men and 12-40% of women living in the United States participate in extrarelational sex at some point in their marriages (Atwood & Seifer, 1997; Laumann, Gagnon, Michael, & Michaels, 1994). e shame and social stigma associated with indelity make it a challenging phenomenon to study. Additionally, couple therapists may insist on disclosure and refuse to work with a couple when one of the partners is actively involved in an aair. In addition to the multitude of treatment approaches suggested by clinicians and researchers (Atkins, Baucom, Eldrigde, & Christensen, 2005; Gordon, Baucom, & Snyder, 2004; Martell & Prince, 2005; Pittman & Wagers, 2005; Zola, 2007), there is currently a substantial amount of research on predictors and eects of indelity. For example, intrapersonal variables and qualities of relationships shown to aect the likelihood of indelity include education level, personality traits, income level, and relationship satisfaction (Treas & Giesen, 2000). Documented eects of indelity may include psychological distress, intimate partner violence, or fear of relationship dissolution (Atwood & Seifer, 1997; Buunk, 1997; Drigotas, Safstrom, & Gentilia, 1999). However, there has yet to be any ecacious research related to a particular clinical approach for indelity (Atkins et
al., 2005), with a noticeable lack of attention dedicated to cultural and contextual factors.
