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Best practice in relationship education
Abstract
Relationship education is widely available to couples and is intended to reduce the prevalence of relationship distress, divorce, and the associated personal and social costs. To realize the potential benefits of couple relationship education, it needs to be evidence-based, offered in ways that attract couples at high-risk for relationship problems, and focused on factors that put couples at high-risk for future relationship problems.
... Tendo em vista o desafio em desenvolver um relacionamento duradouro (Halford et al., 2003) intervenções que visem a prevenir problemas na relação do casal são bem-vindas. No contexto norte-americano, programas preventivos para casais são amplamente divulgados, descritos e avaliados (Bodenmann & Shantinath, 2004;Doss et al., 2020;Jakubowski et al., 2004;Markman et al., 2022). ...
... De modo geral, programas educacionais e/ou preventivos para casais escolhem um público-alvo, por exemplo, casais homoafetivos, casais de baixa renda (Buzzela et al., 2012;Doss et al., 2020), com o objetivo de ajudar a manter a saúde, a satisfação e estabilidade do relacionamento (Halford & Bodenmann, 2013;Halford et al., 2003). Para atingir este objetivo, são oferecidas estratégias de aumento da consciência, fornecimento de feedback e treinamento de habilidades, tais como comunicação e solução de problemas (Halford et al., 2003;Halford & Bodenmann, 2013). ...
... De modo geral, programas educacionais e/ou preventivos para casais escolhem um público-alvo, por exemplo, casais homoafetivos, casais de baixa renda (Buzzela et al., 2012;Doss et al., 2020), com o objetivo de ajudar a manter a saúde, a satisfação e estabilidade do relacionamento (Halford & Bodenmann, 2013;Halford et al., 2003). Para atingir este objetivo, são oferecidas estratégias de aumento da consciência, fornecimento de feedback e treinamento de habilidades, tais como comunicação e solução de problemas (Halford et al., 2003;Halford & Bodenmann, 2013). Via de regra, o formato do programa é de oficinas em grupo, com quatro a oito encontros, com duração de duas a três horas cada, totalizando, em torno de 12 a 18 horas (Halford et al., 2003). ...
Love permeates the entire span of an individual's development, and one expression of this love is manifested through the marital relationship. However, the quality of a couple's interaction can significantly impact their physical and mental health, parenting abilities, and overall well-being. In light of this, interventions targeting this population can be highly valuable. Thus, the objective of this study was to design and evaluate an educational program for couples called “Get Connected”, which focuses on intimacy, taking into account variables such as dyadic adjustment, marital satisfaction, commitment, and intimacy. This study employed the quasi-experimental method with a pre-test and pos-test design. To assess the program's effectiveness, the following instruments were utilized: the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, the Marital Satisfaction Scale, the Dimensions of Intimacy Scale, the Intimate Safety Questionnaire, along with a sociodemographic questionnaire and a specifically developed continuous indirect measurements original questionnaire for this study. The results indicated that the program led to an increase in dyadic satisfaction, and the mean scores for intimacy, satisfaction, and commitment variables showed improvement after the fifth session. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the implementation of education programs for couples has the potential to enhance the interaction between partners.
Keywords: couples, educational program for couples, marital intimacy, marital satisfaction, marital communication, marital quality of life
... Casais pertencentes a populações minoritárias também se beneficiaram menos das intervenções ( (Halford et al., 2003) propôs a inclusão da temática da agressão, bem como sua avaliaçãocompatível com moderadores encontrados nesta revisão sistemática. ...
... te adaptado à realidade da população estudada.Por fim, observam-se efeitos positivos dos programas, especificamente PREP (6) e SHM (34), por atenuarem possíveis efeitos deletérios tais como risco relacionado à coabitação prévia ao casamento e diversos efeitos nocivos como emoções negativas, gravidade das discordâncias e conflitos, humor e estresse.Halford et al. (2003) realizaram um estudo que forneceu diretrizes para boas práticas em programas educacionais para casais, constando entre elas a avaliação do perfil de risco dos casais.O estudo dividiu os fatores de risco em fatores estáticos, isto é, fatores que não são passíveis de mudança (por exemplo, histórico da família de origem, idade, coabitação) ...
... Dentre os demais desfechos apresentados na Tabela 9, a saber, parentalidade, VPI, teoria e prática, satisfação com a intervenção e outros, aquele que apresentou mais resultados de melhora foi o de VPI. Tal dado mostra o avanço das pesquisas da área, uma vez que meta-análises anteriores sugeriram a inclusão da temática da violência (Halford et al., 2003). Além disso, indica a crescente abrangência dos programas educacionais para casais com diferentes especificidades. ...
O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar a produção internacional e nacional acerca dos programas educacionais para casais. Para isso, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática da literatura nas seguintes bases de dados: Pubmed, APA, Lilacs e Eric. Seguiu-se a proposta do método PRISMA. Os resultados mostraram que apenas no contexto internacional foi possível identificar programas na temática, com destaque para pesquisas estadunidenses. Além disso, é possível afirmar que estudos com programas educacionais para casais ainda permanecem com uma população relativamente homogênea, isto é, jovens e heterossexuais. Dentre os programas utilizados, aqueles mais presentes foram o Prevention Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) e OurRelationship (OuR). Estudos com mediadores mostraram a comunicação como um importante mecanismo de mudança, enquanto estudos com moderadores evidenciaram os fatores de risco relacionais e individuais. Tanto a comunicação como a satisfação se mostraram como os desfechos mais utilizados para os estudos de eficácia. No contexto brasileiro, entretanto, não foram encontrados estudos com grupo controle. Discute-se a necessidade de mais estudos com programas educacionais para casais no contexto brasileiro.
... Esses estudos, em geral, demonstram melhoras nas habilidades ensinadas nos programas e, em alguns casos, nos indicadores de qualidade e satisfação conjugal (Markman & Rhoades, 2012). Uma série de trabalhos também vêm sendo realizados visando a avaliar os efeitos de elementos específicos da intervenção nos resultados alcançados e tentando estabelecer uma articulação teóricoprática que permita compreender e prever quais destes são responsáveis pelos efeitos mais significativos (Halford, Markman, Kline, & Stanley, 2003). ...
... O Within My Reach tem como alvo pessoas que não estão em relacionamentos, visando a fomentar escolhas e comportamentos saudáveis na estruturação dos casais e diminuir a violência conjugal e familiar (Rhoades & Stanley, 2011). Derivado deste, o Within Our Reach tem como foco casais e apresentou resultados positivos tanto no pós-intervenção quanto no seguimento de 30 meses, em um estudo recente (Rhoades, 2015).O Relationship Evaluation (RELATE) e o Couple CARE (Halford et al., 2003), são programas em formato autoguiado, com o foco na comunicação entre os membros do casal. O Power of Two é uma versão inteiramente online de educação conjugal (Kalinka, Fincham, & Hirsch, 2012). ...
... Dessa forma, esses casais sabem que existe ajuda disponível e onde procurá-la quando isso se tornar necessário no futuro (Williamson, Hammett, Ross, Karney, & Bradbury, 2018). Halford et al. (2003) destacam uma homogeneidade no campo da educação conjugal, no sentido que os programas costumam ter estrutura, objetivos e fundamentos teóricos semelhantes. O foco principal consiste na aquisição de habilidades de comunicação em um estilo didático, comumente em grupos e em ambientes como universidades, igrejas e centros comunitários. ...
Resumo A dissolução da unidade conjugal é um desafio familiar e para os diversos sistemas sociais a esta relacionados. O objetivo deste artigo é revisar a literatura sobre programas preventivos com casais, visando a identificar os formatos de sucesso, as lacunas existentes no que é oferecido no Brasil e o que podemos aprender com a experiência internacional. Os dados são apresentados e discutidos privilegiando os estudos que se mostraram teórica e empiricamente relevantes para o desenvolvimento de um programa adaptado à realidade brasileira. Os estudos encontrados apontam para a eficácia das intervenções preventivas na promoção de habilidades relacionadas à resiliência conjugal. Entretanto, os mecanismos de mudança implicados nesse processo e sua repercussão na qualidade conjugal ainda não foram esclarecidos.
... assessed years after their training (e.g., 12 months, Halford et al., 2003;1.5-5.5 years after the program, Schilling et al., 2003;5 years, Futris et al., 2011), PREP couples reported improved communication skills, positive affect, problem-solving skills, and support/validation in comparison to control couples. Furthermore, couples continue to use the conflict management skills they learned in PREP over a period of 10 years (see for a review). ...
... Results of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale scores indicated statistically significant positive change immediately after the training. The observed main effect of PREP on dyadic adjustment confirms previous literature on PREP training's positive effect on dyadic adjustment (e.g., Halford et al., 2003;Owen et al., 2012;Wadsworth & Markman, 2012). However, results are inconsistent with other studies that demonstrated PREP had no impact (Trillingsgaard et al., 2012) or negative effects (Rogge et al., 2013) on the quality of marital relationships. ...
The aim of the present study was to replicate the efficacy of the Prevention and Relationship Education Program (PREP) training on marital satisfaction and dyadic adjustment among a group of Iranian newlyweds. One hundred and sixty heterosexual couples (N = 320 participants) were randomly assigned to an experimental or a wait list control group. Data from one hundred and forty‐eight couples were analyzed. Participants completed the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (The Family Journal, 1, 1993, 196–207) and Dyadic Adjustment Scale (The Journal of Sex Research, 39, 1976, 190–196) at pretest, posttest, 1‐year follow‐up, and 2‐year follow‐up. Results indicated that mean marital satisfaction and dyadic adjustment scores between the experimental and control groups were significantly different at posttest. Therefore, PREP training improved marital satisfaction and dyadic adjustment of couples at posttest. The data suggests that PREP training program can be introduced as an effective relationship education program for Iranian newlyweds.
... The researcher argues that happy couples are less susceptible to being adversely affected by mental distress and life-altering events due to their close bond. Several studies have consistently demonstrated that early factors have predictable effects on future marriages (Halford et al., 2003). These early indicators can be classified into four distinct types based on their origin: genetic, individual, environmental, and social (Busby et al., 2001). ...
This study was conducted to assess the association between tolerance for disagreement, psychological distress, and quality of life among married couples. In the current study, the correlational research design was used and a total of 200 married couples were selected through a purposive sampling technique from Faisalabad city. The following scales were used to measure the variables under investigation; Tolerance for Disagreement Scale, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale. The data was analyzed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, 23). Results indicated that there was a significant negative relationship between psychological distress and quality of life among married couples. Tolerance for disagreement was a significant predictor of quality of life and Psychological distress. The findings of the current study verified all three hypotheses which were accepted at P<.01 level. This research fulfills the literature gap and it can also be helpful to psychotherapists for couple and marriage counseling and developing several therapeutic strategies.
... While offering psychological counseling services to families established through remarriage, the general characteristics and dynamics of marriage and families as well as the specific characteristics of remarriages should be recognized, the variability inherent in the scope of remarriage should be taken into account, the expectations of spouses and other family members should be evaluated starting from the pre-remarriage, and the process that it is required for restructuring should be emphasized (Lawton and Sanders 1994, Hetherington and Kelly 2002, Halford et al. 2003, Visher et al. 2003. ...
Remarried families become widespread as a type of family that differs from first marriages both developmentally and structurally. Due to its developmental and structural differences, both the quality and continuity of this families emerge as areas that need to be studied. To offer effective interventions to remarried families, researchers and practitioners in the field of mental health should have access to knowledge on this subject. The literature on remarried families emphasizes biological, non-biological and co-parenting related issues. The expectations, knowledge and perceptions of both the married couple, the children and the surrounding social environment of the remarried family is another important issue. Communication, problem solving, and conflict management can be an important tool in strengthening relationships and preventing negative experiences for families established through remarriage. It is seen that the interventions that deal with the mentioned characteristics of families formed through remarriage are given in the form of group practices, adopting a preventive approach, supported by practices that point to skill acquisition in addition to providing information. Programs offered for families formed through remarriage share commonalities such as remarried family development, parenting skills, communication and problem-solving skills. The effectiveness of interventions for remarriage has been tested by various studies conducted since the late 1970s. While testing the effectiveness of such interventions, it is seen that different outcome variables such as family integrity, dyadic satisfaction, relationship quality, marital continuity, conflict level, stress level and behavioral disorders experienced by family members are considered. Research findings show that interventions for remarriage are effective.
... 3. It prevents escalation of problems that typically require costly couple's therapy and mitigates the collateral damage caused by distressed couples. Between 80% and 90% of divorcing couples in the US alone, report that they have not consulted with a therapist [8]. Thus, it appears that MRE is the only chance for many couples to prevent marriage problems. ...
Divorce has been defying marriages successfully in the last six decades in most countries and cultures worldwide, making happiness an elusive state of contentment beyond the reach of couples. In Curacao for example, the rate of divorce is at a troubling 73%. Making discovering of the “epicenter” of divorce (figuratively speaking) of extremely importance. Marriage and Relationship Education (MRE) or Couples Relationship Education (CRE) programs may be a potent alternative for mitigating the problem. MRE programs can put happiness within the grasp of every couple committed to development the 12 profiled relationship and family competencies for marital or relationship durability. This article aims to argue the pivotal role of Marriage and Relationship Education programs based on development of relationship Competence also referred to as Relationship Intelligence.
... These programs often target knowledge, skills, and attitudes about healthy relationships (Kerpelman et al. 2009). These programs range in length from 1 hour to 13 hours, may consist of daily or weekly sessions lasting several months, usually include some techniques for reinforcement of learning (eg quizzes, role-playing, selfassessment) and are delivered by trained facilitators (Halford et al. 2003, Halford et al. 2008, Halford 2011. Research supports that corruptive attitudes about relationships severely reduce the odds of forming a successful and long-term partnership with another; for example, the unrealistic standard of finding a soulmate can create challenges in forming healthy unions as the standard for success is too high (Wilcox and Dew 2010). ...
Intimate relationships are the focal aspiration for human beings. Romantic relationship education is described as a road map for helping people to find strategies and solutions that fit their context, values and relationship goals. By using evidence-based skills training, people can learn techniques to navigate typical relationship challenges and safely express emotions. Being in a mutually satisfying committed relationship has proven to be associated with many positive outcomes including life satisfaction, physical well-being, better coping with major illness, as well as longer life expectancy and career achievement. Relationship education programs are developed by psychologists in Western countries as a preventive intervention for couples, adolescents and emerging adults before relationships reach crisis stage. There is, however, a lack of empirical studies to examine the effectiveness of relationship education within the Turkish cultural context. The overarching aim of this study is to review the relationship education programs within Turkish and international literature. This study provides an overview of the relationship education, and its scope, and theoretical foundations and also effectiveness of relationship education programs for couples, adolescents and emerging adults. The study further provides cultural, theoretical and practical recommendations for future directions in Turkish relationship education programs.
... Effective interventions to enhance stepcouples' dynamics should address not only factors that are unique to stepparenting, but also factors that are inherent to the couple dyad (Halford et al., 2003;Adler-Baeder and Higginbotham, 2004). In common with other couple types, couples in stepfamilies may consider programs that promote general relationship skills such as communication training (e.g., Ahrari et al., 2020), problem-solving (e.g., Babcock et al., 2013), empathy skills (e.g., Adler-Baeder, 2007), conflict and stress management and building friendship and affection (Gottman, 1999). ...
Background
Stepfamilies are a prevalent family form. However, less stable than nuclear, first marriage families due to the presence of risk factors such as the absence of social norms and the presence of stepchildren. Stepfamilies have unique educational needs regarding stepparenting and co-parenting issues. The development and documentation of psychoeducational intervention strategies can facilitate dissemination of ongoing studies and promote transparency. This article describes the background, design and protocol of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the eficacy and feasibility of a web-based Psychoeducational Simulation Game (GSteps). Behavior-modeling video training (BMT) is used to demonstrate and promote relational skills, stepparenting and co-parenting effective strategies for adults in stepfamilies. A mental health professional will be available within the GSteps platform for clarification or emotional support.
Methods/design
A RCT design is presented to evaluate the outcomes of a self-administered, interactive and web-based psychoeducational Game targeting dyadic marital adjustment and interpersonal skills as the primary outcomes and remarriage beliefs, family function and stepparenting and co-parenting attitudes as the secondary outcomes. Other outcome measures include satisfaction with GSteps, participants’ knowledge learned after the intervention and a purposive sampling method will be used to access feasibility. The minimum required sample size is 112 participants (56 per condition) randomly allocated either to an experimental group (EG), receiving GSteps intervention, or to a wait-list control group (CG). A survey is conducted electronically. Assessments take place at baseline (T0), after the intervention (T1) and 1-month follow-up (T2).
Discussion
This protocol presents a RCT aimed at evaluating the efficacy of a web-based psychoeducational intervention (GSteps) designed for improving marital, stepparenting and co-parenting skills in adults who live in stepfamilies. The use of the protocol and results of intervention studies may guide the use and refinement of web-based psychoeducational intervention for stepfamilies. Additionally, GSteps may become a tool for health professionals to enhance stepfamily functioning, stepparenting skills, and marital adjustment of remarried adults.
... Couple Relationship Education (CRE) programs are a prevention resource used to assist adult individuals, couples, and families reduce relationship distress, improve prosocial behaviors, regulate irrational thoughts and emotions, and cope with depressive symptoms (Halford, Markman, Kline, & Stanley, 2003;Hawkins, Blanchard, Baldwin, & Fawcett, 2008). Recently, Wadsworth and Markman (2012) suggested that the new generation of CRE research focus on the context of CRE or explorations of the implementation process, which is formed largely due to regional Extension agents' (REAs) and family life educators' (FLEs) efforts. ...
Couple Relationship Education (CRE) programs are a prevention resource used to assist adult individuals, couples, and families reduce relationship distress and improve prosocial behaviors. Regional Extension agents (REAs) and other community family life educators (FLEs) who teach CRE are involved in a facilitation process that develops relationships and rapport with their participants similar to other helping relationships. To date, no published research has focused on how CRE may affect the REAs/FLEs who provide the programs through community adult education programs. Informed by relational-cultural theory and the ecological systems perspective, the current study focused on assessing change in ten outcomes measuring REAs/FLEs’ (N = 54) individual, couple, and co-parenting functioning and whether that change differed by gender. Results from repeated measure ANCOVAs indicate REAs/FLEs experience gains across several domains of functioning. There were no differences by gender. Implications for REAs/FLEs and suggestions for future research are described.
... Couple CARE is a manualized program that focuses on behavior change in common areas of relationship functioning. It is an educational, skills-based tool that therapists can use in their work with couples, to alleviate distress and strengthen relationships (Halford et al., 2003). The program aims to evaluate each partner's current behavior in specific domains, identify any goals for change, and then implement plans to reach those goals. ...
Changing technology, and the pervasive demand created by a greater need in the population for access to mental health interventions, has led to the development of technologies that are shifting the traditional way in which therapy is provided. This study investigated the efficacy of a behavioral couples therapy program conducted via videoconferencing, as compared to face-to-face. There were 60 participants, in couples, ranging in age from 21 to 69 years old. Couples had been in a relationship for between 1 to 49 years. The 30 couples were randomly allocated to the face-to-face or videoconferencing group. They all took part in Couple CARE—a couples behavioral education program which promotes self-change in order to increase relationship satisfaction. The six session manualized intervention was offered in an identical manner to all clients, in each condition. Data analysis was based on several questionnaires completed by each couple at pre, post and 3-months follow-up. Results showed that therapeutic alliance ratings did not differ between groups, but increased significantly over time for both groups. Additionally, the results indicated improvements in relationship satisfaction, mental health, and all other outcome scores over time, which did not differ based on condition. This study uniquely contributes to the literature exploring the use of technology to provide therapy. Specifically, the study provides evidence for couples therapy via videoconferencing as a viable alternative to face-to-face interventions, especially for those couples who may not have access to the treatment they require. It is anticipated that the results of this study will contribute to the field of online therapy, and add to fostering confidence in agencies to allow expansion of services conducted via videoconferencing.
... Jakubowski et al., 2004). Begrifflich wird Partnerschaftspflege im Englischen häufig mit "Marriage Enrichment", "Relationship Education" und im Deutschen mit Partnerschaftsbegleitung, Ehevorbereitung, Paaredukation oder Präventionsprogramme für Paare in Zusammenhang gebracht (Berger & Hannah, 1999;Heinrichs et al., 2008;Halford et al., 2003). ...
... Regarding this aspect, among the mapped couple psychoeducational programs, three of them provided in their basic curriculum themes related to most evidence-based relationship education programs (e.g. training in communication skills and promoting positive connections between partners; Halford et al., 2003), avoiding the aforementioned harmful effects that could inadvertently increase minority stress. On the other hand, separate programs were developed for male and female couples, based on initial feedback from participants that they would be more comfortable participating in marital education in single-gender groups, preferring to see couples of their gender represented in materials and wishing that the program covered gender-specific topics (e.g. ...
This paper presents a systematic review study that aimed to map how the scientific literature is characterized concerning family or couple interventions and therapies regarding lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals. The searches were conducted in the Web of Science, BVS, PsycINFO, and PUBMED databases, from 2009 to 2019, in Portuguese and English. The PRISMA protocol guidelines were followed and the CONSORT Statement and its extension for non-pharmacological interventions instruments were used. Frequencies and content analysis were performed at software NVivo. After considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, gender-nonconforming19 articles were retrieved. The results revealed a greater focus on the North American context, mainly on psychoeducational interventions that worked on marital status and family systems with LGB teenagers or young adults. Adaptation of well-consolidated practical approaches was the most used and multiple formats were applied to conduct interventions, using film-based, cognitive-behavioral and systemic techniques. It is argued that theoretical and empirical research focused on stigma and discrimination at marital and family levels is needed in other contexts, such as Global South countries. Future directions and limitations are presented.
... • Trotz der hohen Trennungs-und Scheidungsrate und der relativ hohen Dunkelziffer an unzufriedenen Paaren suchen nur relativ wenige Paare professionelle Hilfe in Form von Partnerschaftsberatung oder Paartherapie. Gemäß Doss et al. (2010) nehmen lediglich 15 % der Paare Paartherapie in Anspruch, während 80-90 % der Paare in Trennung oder Scheidung keine entsprechenden Hilfsangebote aufsuchen (Halford, Markman, Kline & Stanley, 2003). ...
... Assim, intervir nos processos adaptativos parece ser uma forma efetiva de promover a qualidade conjugal. Esses processos são mais facilmente modificáveis pois são constituídos de habilidades que podem ser treinadas e ensinadas aos casais (Halford, Markman, Kline, & Stanley, 2003). Por isso, são uma via de trabalho importante tanto na clínica como em intervenções de promoção da saúde conjugal. ...
As relações conjugais têm sido amplamente estudadas, porém, há pouca clareza sobre a abrangência, a definição e a contextualização teórica do conceito de qualidade conjugal. Assim, este estudo buscou aclarar o construto de qualidade conjugal propondo dimensões que elucidem a intersecção de a temas relativos ao indivíduo, ao contexto e os processos adaptativos, na perspectiva de casais. Oito casais responderam a uma entrevista semiestruturada sobre o relacionamento conjugal que foi submetida a uma análise temática. Foram identificados 21 temas, divididos em 4 eixos constitutivos do modelo: indivíduo, contexto, processos adaptativos e qualidade conjugal. Os processos adaptativos tiveram papel central, sendo que as relações entre os eixos indivíduo e contexto e o eixo qualidade conjugal perpassam esses processos. Ressalta-se a importância dos processos adaptativos nas intervenções com casais e recomenda-se que a pertinência do modelo adotado continue sendo investigada no Brasil.
... Interpersonal couple conflict, with its intense emotions, provides a suitable medium to assess the causal impact of a third-party mediator on conflict. In regard to romantic love, research suggests that the manner of argumentation is as important to marital well-being as the contents of the argument (Halford, Markman, Kline, & Stanley, 2003). Consequently, one important role of mediation is to provide structure for the discussion and to help manage negative emotions such as anger, frustration, and fear (Senft, 2015) and to reinforce positive emotions. ...
... Interpersonal couple conflict, with its intense emotions, provides suitable medium to assess the causal impact of a third-party mediator on conflict. In regard to romantic love, research suggests that the manner of argumentation is as important to marital well-being as the contents of the argument (Halford, Markman, Kline, & Stanley, 2003). Consequently, one important 6 role of mediation is to provide structure for the discussion and to help manage negative emotions such as anger, frustration, and fear (Senft, 2015) and to reinforce positive emotions. ...
... The observed main effect of the PREP on marital functioning is in line with previous research findings on the PREP (e.g., Fallahchai et al. In press;Halford et al. 2003;Markman and Rhoades 2012;Owen et al. 2012;Wadsworth and Markman 2012). ...
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether relationship education and changes in communication behaviors predicted marital functioning of newlyweds. One hundred and thirty-five couples (N = 270 participants) were randomly assigned to the intervention or the control group. Sixty-six couples participated in the PREP workshop. Couples in the intervention group reported higher marital functioning, more positive and fewer negative communication behaviors at the posttest, 3-month and 6-month follow-ups compared with the couples in the control group. Moreover, one’s own and partner’s positive and negative communication predicated the marital functioning of the couples in the intervention group. An increase in negative communication of a husband/ a wife on a particular time point was significantly associated with lower marital functioning of his wife/ her husband at the next time points. The findings shed light on the possible beneficial effects of communication behaviors on the newlyweds’ marital functioning in Iran.
... Selbst in gravierenden Krisen ist der Anteil an Paaren www.active-books.de mit 10-20%, die Hilfsangebote aufsuchen (können?) erschreckend gering (Halford, Markman, Kline & Stanley, 2003). Mit dem Wissen um die weitreichende Bedeutung von Partnerschaftskrisen sollten wir das ändern und z.B. auch internetbasierte Angebote ausbauen, damit Menschen erreicht werden, die "herkömmliche" Beratung nicht in Anspruch nehmen (vgl. ...
Eine glückliche und stabile Paarbeziehung ist eng mit der psychischen und physischen Gesundheit verbunden. Dementsprechend gelten gravierende Schwierigkeiten in der Partnerschaft als wichtiger gesundheitlicher Risikofaktor. Dieser Beitrag fokussiert auf der Grundlage eines biopsychosozialen Gesundheitsverständnisses das Potential paarbezogener Interventionsansätze für die Prävention psychischer Störungen. Die herausragende Bedeutung von intimen Beziehungen für die psychische Gesundheit wird wesentlich auf deren Rolle bei der Befriedigung psychosozialer Grundbedürfnisse zurückgeführt. Gleichzeitig werden Zusammenhänge zwischen der Partnerschaftsqualität der Eltern und der Qualität der Eltern-Kind-Beziehungen ebenso wie die Auswirkungen von destruktiven Partnerschaftskonflikten auf die Entwicklung von Kindern dargestellt.
Vor diesem Hintergrund werden die wichtigsten Präventions- und Interventionsansätze vorgestellt, die darauf abzielen, die Partnerschaftsqualität zu verbessern. Es werden sowohl bekannte deutschsprachige Präventionskonzepte (EPL-Ein Partnerschaftliches Lernprogramm, paarlife®) als auch zentrale paartherapeutische Grundrichtungen (tiefenpsychologisch, verhaltenstherapeutisch und humanistisch- erfahrungsorientiert) beschrieben. Als integrativer Ansatz, der sich durch Arbeit in und mit Gruppen von Paaren auszeichnet, wird die Partnerschule betrachtet.
Abschließend wird aufgezeigt, dass paarorientierte Interventionen bislang viel zu wenig für die präventive Stärkung der psychischen Gesundheit von Erwachsenen und Kindern genutzt werden.
... Couple+ intervention was designed as an easily accessible self-help programme. This type of CPPI was meant to overcome noticeable drawbacks of one-to-one interventions (e.g., dissemination, financial and time costs, and organization for childcare; Bradford et al., 2016;Halford, Markman, Kline, & Stanley, 2003;Halford, Markman, & Stanley, 2008). Moreover, because a variety of interventions have previously been found to provide benefits, this CPPI was innovatively based on a multicomponent approach (Parks, 2015;Thompson, Peura, & Gayton, 2015). ...
In this randomized study, a multicomponent, theory‐driven, autonomous self‐help positive psychology intervention (PPI) for couples was examined. This intervention was not designed for distressed couples but rather to address autonomous couples with a good initial level of functioning who, nonetheless, wished to improve it. The objective was to assess the efficacy of the PPI on satisfaction with life, affective life, communication patterns, and dyadic adjustment in each member of the dyad. The 4‐week PPI encompassed dyadic and individual daily activities. Thirty‐eight couples were assigned to an intervention group (n = 20 couples) or a waiting list control (WLC) group (n = 18 couples). Assessments were conducted prior to and after the PPI, with an immediate post‐test and a follow‐up. Ninety‐two percent of the PPI was completed by the participants. Linear mixed models revealed improvements in positive emotions, communication patterns of mutuality, and dyadic adjustment from the pretest to the immediate post‐test in the intervention group compared with the WLC group. Effects of dyadic adjustment were maintained from pretest to 1‐month follow‐up in the intervention group. This pilot study suggests that the realization of intentional dyadic activities presents an interesting approach to contribute to individual positive emotions and dyadic functioning.
... Our recommendations are informed by empirical knowledge and on accumulated knowledge from decades of experience. There are a variety of publications on best practices in relationship education, all with different emphases (e.g., Halford, Markman, Kline, & Stanley, 2003;Halford, Markman, & Stanley, 2008;Markman, Williams, Einhorn, & Stanley, 2007). The balance of this article can be viewed as highlighting areas where decisions are a part of best practice. ...
Relationship education is widely used to help people develop and sustain healthy romantic relationships. We first provide a review on the current state of evidence and key issues in the field, laying a foundation for suggesting specific best practices in relationship education. We focus on services provided to couples but also address the burgeoning field of relationship education with individuals. Although there are many gaps in the knowledge informing best practices—such as mechanisms of effect and dose—decades of research and experience provide a strong basis for specific recommendations. The hallmark of an evidence‐based, best‐practice approach lies in making thoughtful decisions based on current knowledge, the goals of the effort, the population served, and available resources.
... Son numerosas las investigaciones que han demostrado la eficacia de los programas de educación prematrimonial y el gran impacto que generan en las parejas (Hahlweg y Markman, 1988;Halford, Markman, Kline, y Stanley, 2003;Carroll y Dotherty, 2003). Aunque también existen estudios que han cuestionado su impacto (Schumm y Silliman, 1997) sobretodo con parejas de alto riesgo (Sullivan y Bradbury, 1997). ...
... Overall, these findings inform practice suggestions that emphasize teaching positive behavioral skills for couple relationships (e.g., Hawkins, Carroll, Doherty, & Willoughby, 2004). And increasingly, more attention has been paid in couple interventions on recognition of and responses to stress for its direct and indirect influence on relationship quality (Fathers & Families Coalition of America, 2015;Halford, Markman, Kline, & Stanley, 2003). ...
This study serves to advance the empirical research on predictors of relationship quality by considering the role of trait mindfulness in combination with measures of stress and positive relationship behaviors among a diverse sample of men and women in couple relationships. Multi‐group structural equation models tested both direct links and indirect pathways and found stronger evidence for an additive model of trait mindfulness, perceived stress, and positive couple behaviors uniquely associated with men's and women's reports of relationship quality. Furthermore, positive relationship behaviors are comparatively the most closely linked with relationship quality for both men and women in our sample. As more clinicians are incorporating mindfulness training with clients, these types of explorations can serve to inform practices on relative value of intervention strategies and possible pathways for enhancing couple relationship quality.
... Primary IPV prevention during the neonatal period has been identified as particularly favorable [12], given couples' increased openness to learning/improving relationship and parenting skills [13], high-risk couples' greater likelihood in participating in neonatal, versus premarital, prevention [14] and the increase in IPV risk associated with the almost inevitable decline in relationship satisfaction following the birth of a child [15,16]. ...
Background
Intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy can have serious health consequences for mothers and the unborn child. Nevertheless, IPV is seldom addressed in the context of parent preparation.
Aim
This study aimed to map the prevalence, direction, and severity of IPV in a sample of expectant couples signing up for universally-offered parent preparation.
Method
A total of 1726 Danish couples expecting their first child provided data on physical and psychological IPV by completing the Family Maltreatment measure during the second trimester of pregnancy.
Results
In 18.5% of the couples, at least one partner reported psychological or physical IPV acts during the past year. In more than 8% of couples, one or both partners reported acts and impacts above the ICD-11 threshold for clinically-significant IPV (CS-IPV) during the past year (3.6% physical CS-IPV, 5.3% psychological CS-IPV, and 0.8% both physical and psychological CS-IPV). Among couples with physical IPV below the clinical threshold, pregnant-woman-to-partner (50%) and bidirectional (38.2%) IPV were more common than partner-to-pregnant-woman IPV (11.8%). Among couples with physical CS-IPV, pregnant-woman-to-partner (36.1%), partner-to-pregnant-women (29.1%) and bidirectional (34.4%) forms were equally common. Among couples with psychological IPV, pregnant-woman-to-partner (54.9%) and partner-to-pregnant-woman (39.6%) IPV were more common than bidirectional IPV (5.5%).
Discussion
The prevalence of violence was markedly higher in this study compared with previous reports from the Nordic region and highlights a previous oversight of a substantial and clinically significant level of pregnant-woman-to-partner IPV—as well as the reverse. Data from this study call for IPV to be addressed in universally offered parent preparation programs.
Marital quality is influenced by numerous factors, with previous research highlighting the importance of positive attitudes and supportive practices in fostering a healthy relationship environment. However, there is a need for empirical studies that specifically examine how skills and attitudes-based practices impact marital quality. This pilot study aims to fill this gap by investigating the influence of couple skills and attitudes-based practices on marital quality, providing insights that could inform therapeutic approaches and interventions for couples seeking to improve their marital satisfaction.
This randomized controlled trial involved 45 married couples, aged 25–45, divided into an intervention group (23 couples) and a control group (22 couples). The intervention consisted of 8 weekly workshops designed to foster key aspects of marital quality, such as communication, expectations, and commitment. Participants in both groups were assessed using the Relationship Belief Inventory (RBI), the Marriage Expectation Scale (MES), and the Marital Commitment Questionnaire (MCQ) before and after the intervention.
The significant main effects of time and group, as well as the time by group interaction effects for the RBI, MES, MCQ scores indicate that the intervention effectively improve dysfunctional beliefs about relationships, marital commitment, and marital expectations. The results revealed significant improvements in all three areas for the intervention group compared to the control group, highlighting the program's efficacy.
The findings suggest that targeted skills and attitudes-based practices can effectively enhance marital quality among midlife couples. By addressing both attitudes and practical skills, particularly in communication and conflict resolution, the program equips couples with essential tools to foster healthier and more resilient relationships. Future studies should examine the long-term effects of such interventions and consider larger samples for sub-Group analyses.
The Pan African Clinical Trials Registry PACTR202408536250978. Retrospectively Registered on 20 August 2024.
Despite evidence suggesting that partner maltreatment—a concept which represents a wide array of negative, destructive, and abusive behaviors in romantic relationships—is likely to fluctuate over time, the longitudinal trajectory of partner maltreatment is unclear. This study aims to identify the average trajectory of partner maltreatment over a 5‐month period before applying an attachment‐informed diathesis‐stress framework to explain points of escalation or de‐escalation in partner maltreatment perpetration. Two hundred and eight individuals completed 5 monthly assessments of partner maltreatment as well as an assessment of adult attachment and perceived stress at baseline. A nonlinear (i.e., quadratic function) trajectory provided optimal fit for partner maltreatment perpetration over time. An interaction between attachment avoidance and perceived stress predicted the trajectory of partner maltreatment perpetration. Specifically, higher attachment avoidance and higher perceived stress predicted a small initial decline followed by a steep increase in partner maltreatment perpetration. No significant associations were found for the interaction between attachment anxiety and stress and partner maltreatment. The findings suggest that perpetration of partner maltreatment fluctuates over time, and that an attachment‐informed diathesis‐stress framework can be applied to explain levels of partner maltreatment perpetration and points of escalation and de‐escalation over time.
The purpose of this study was to infer the theoretical foundations of lifestyle from the view of the Holy Quran. The main question was: what are the foundations of prescriptive lifestyle of Quran and how do they lead to a behavioral model? To answer that, the theoretical foundations were inferred from the Holy Quran by the descriptive-analytical (documentary) method and an interpretative approach. The finding was that the foundations of lifestyle from the view of the Holy Quran are divided into four groups: epistemology, ontology, anthropology, and axiology; by reviewing ontological and anthropological foundations and axiological foundations, respectively, monotheistic worldview and the framework of monotheistic value system were resulted. By explaining the worldview and monotheistic value system, the lifestyle attitudes for selection trends and standards, which form the specific behavioral patterns, were resulted. Finally, the relationship between the foundations and the behavioral patterns was illustrated in the form of a symbolic model
Keywords
the Holy Quran lifestyle foundations scheme worldview Value system behavioral pattern Islamic psychology
Bu çalışmanın amacı Türkiye’de evlilik öncesi ilişki geliştirme programlarını konu alan tezleri inceleyerek mevcut durumu ortaya koymaktır. Evlilik öncesi eğitimler önleyici çalışmalar kapsamında değerlendirilmektedir ve sorunlar ortaya çıkmadan çiftlerin potansiyel sorun alanlarında bilgi ve beceri yönünden güçlendirilmesini hedefler. Evlilik öncesi eğitimler çeşitli bakanlıklar, belediyeler, sivil toplum kuruluşları, özel danışmanlık merkezleri ve üniversiteler tarafından yürütülebilmektedir. Üniversitelerde yürütülen çalışmalar kuramsal ve görgül açıdan daha güçlü olma özelliği taşıyabildiklerinden ileride yapılacak çalışmalar için temel oluşturabilir. Dolayısıyla bu çalışma kapsamında yedi tez dokuman analizi yöntemi ile incelenmiş ve sonuçlar okuyucu ile paylaşılarak bazı öneriler sunulmuştur.
There is an increasing focus on evaluating the effectiveness of Relationship Education (RE) programs on reducing relationship aggression. Nevertheless, there has been little by way of a systematic quantitative synthesis of research to date. The primary aim of this research was to conduct a meta-analysis into the effects of RE programs on relationship aggression and provide a comprehensive assessment as to the moderating effects of various methodological characteristics of studies. A secondary aim was to determine whether RE programs reduce negative aspects of relationship functioning that are known to exacerbate relationship aggression. Thirty-one studies (n = 25,527) were included comprising of pre-post comparison studies and control trials. Overall, RE programs were significantly associated with reductions in relationship aggression (d = 0.11, p = .001). Pre-post studies yielded a significantly larger effect size (d = 0.28, p < .001) than RCT studies (d = 0.05, p = .10). Subgroup analysis revealed that participants who reported moderate to severe relationship aggression upon RE program entry demonstrated large reductions in physical (d = 0.66, p = .01) and psychological (d = 0.85, p < .001) aggression compared to those who reported minimal to low relationship aggression on entry (physical aggression d = 0.07, p = .009; psychological aggression d = -0.04; p = .17). Amongst participants who reported moderate to severe relationship aggression, RE programs were also found to reduce controlling behavior (d = 0.20, p < .01) and conflict behavior (d = 0.40, p < .001). Findings demonstrate the emerging efficacy of RE programs for reducing relationship aggression and conflict behavior, particularly in those with a history of moderate to severe levels of relationship aggression.
In this article, we used a novel hybrid approach to review literature concerned with family and domestic violence (FADV) perpetrators. Our intention was to chart the research and publication activity of authors with Australian affiliation to identify homegrown evidence related to stopping the perpetration of violence. This involved systematic searching of literature from the Scopus electronic database, utilization of VOSviewer to sort keyword co-occurrences and authorship linking for 1,494 publication records over a 30-year period, and the review of 21 articles with perpetrator focus, identified from the 50 most cited publications. We found that Australians’ authoring interests in FADV, over the last three decades, with perpetrator focus were predominantly concentrated on gender, rape and sexual assault, coercive control, and child abuse. In the most cited literature, six major themes were identified: perpetrator motivations, perpetrator interventions, patterns of violence, pandemic duet, perception of blame, and cyberstalking and violence. An upward curve in Australian authoring activity in the period under review aligns with societal shifts in which FADV was once considered a private issue and has now become ubiquitous in the public domain. Our findings revealed that research into perpetrators is insufficient to promote a zero-tolerance approach to FADV. Our corresponding in-depth literature review provides valuable insights surrounding perpetrator intervention programs with the goal of more effectively addressing the emerging challenge of technology-facilitated coercive control.
This study examines the policy of premarital course in Indonesia and Malaysia. The premarital course aims to equip the bride and groom with the knowledge and skills of making good family besides attempting to reduce the high rate of divorces in both countries. Premarital course conducted by BP4 Institutions in Indonesia and JAKIM in Malaysia applied different approaches and policies. This study tries to elaborate pre-marital course in Indonesia and Malaysia by examining policies and substantial issues. The data was collected through library research, examining regulations and rules applied in both countries. This study showed that the procedure and mechanism of premarital course in Indonesia and Malaysia were different. Premarital course in Malaysia is mandatory and one of the requirements of marriage registration document whereas in Indonesia is voluntary. Both countries, however, applied a similarity approach and strategy in delivering course materials.
This study examines the policy of premarital course in Indonesia and Malaysia. The premarital course aims to equip the bride and groom with the knowledge and skills of making good family besides attempting to reduce the high rate of divorces in both countries. Premarital course conducted by BP4 Institutions in Indonesia and JAKIM in Malaysia applied different approaches and policies. This study tries to elaborate pre-marital course in Indonesia and Malaysia by examining policies and substantial issues. The data was collected through library research, examining regulations and rules applied in both countries. This study showed that the procedure and mechanism of premarital course in Indonesia and Malaysia were different. Premarital course in Malaysia is mandatory and one of the requirements of marriage registration document whereas in Indonesia is voluntary. Both countries, however, applied a similarity approach and strategy in delivering course materials.
The study evaluated the effectiveness of the couple therapy based on short-term self-regulation couple therapy (SRCT) on increasing the level of marital satisfaction, marital adjustment, and coming out of depression. This research was carried out in two-time spans and locations based on multiple baselines in a sample of six couples in 1387 and 1388. Results indicated that couple therapy based on SRCT can increase the level of marital satisfaction and adjustment and also help them get over their depression.
Much of the research on mindfulness training has focused on individuals and little has evaluated mindfulness training and education in the context of romantic relationships. Mindfulness practiced by committed partners has been linked to greater empathy, perspective taking, and overall marital satisfaction. However, no relationship education program includes training on how mindfulness may benefit a couple’s sexual relationship. Sexual mindfulness is a new area of research that preliminarily has shown that sexual mindfulness may benefit individuals and couples above and beyond mindfulness alone. To build on the small amount of research that indicates mindfulness and sexual mindfulness may benefit romantic relationships, we compared heterosexual couples in a mindfulness-only intervention comparison group (n = 66 individuals) to couples in a sexual-mindfulness intervention treatment group (n = 83 individuals). Couples in both groups were taught about mindfulness, communication, and effective problem solving. Participants in the treatment group were given addition information about sexual mindfulness. The two-session, six-hour intervention found that both groups improved in all metrics. The sexual-mindfulness group made greater improvements in sexual mindfulness awareness. Implications about how sexual mindfulness may benefit relationship education programs and therapists’ practice are discussed.
Volume 8, Issue 1 - Serial Number 18, Winter 0, Pages 1-127
Volume 8, Issue 2 - Serial Number 19, Winter 0, Pages 1-125
This research aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral family therapy based on an Islamic approach on marital intimacy and interpersonal forgiveness of women referring to the counseling centers and it was conducted with a quasi-experimental method and pretest-posttest design among women referring to the counseling centers of Arak. Regarding the conditions of this research and the need for cooperation for several months, 15 women were selected for each group by the convenience sampling and they were randomly placed in the groups. The variables were measured by the questionnaires of marital intimacy and interpersonal forgiveness, and the data were analyzed using the analysis of covariance. According to the results, there is a significant difference between marital intimacy and interpersonal forgiveness in two test and control groups; thus, it can be said that cognitive-behavioral family therapy based on an Islamic approach is an effective method for increasing marital intimacy and interpersonal forgiveness.
Being in a romantic relationship is characterized by a high degree of intimacy and affective involvement. Affective behavior indicates the emotional content in couple interactions and therefore promotes an understanding of the evolution of romantic relationships. When couples are also parents, their affective behavior reflects their romantic and coparental bonds. In this paper, we present an observation of parent couples’ affective behavior during a coparenting conflict discussion task to document whether and how much it improved during couple therapy. Two contrasting cases of affective behavior change are included. Observational coding of affective behavior within pre- and post-intervention coparenting conflict discussion tasks was carried out to compute means and CIs for each partner in both cases. In addition, the partners’ coparental and romantic satisfaction were evaluated through validated self-report questionnaires in pre- and post-intervention assessments; this helped document whether the partners’ coparental and romantic satisfaction were dissimilar between the two cases. Finally, a clinical analysis of both cases was realized with the contribution of the therapists to investigate possible differences within therapy sessions. Statistical analyses revealed negative means of affective behavior for couple A in the pre-intervention assessment and positive means in the post-intervention assessment. Partners from couple B had negative means of affective behavior in the pre- and post-intervention assessments. Results concerning coparental and romantic satisfaction differed: Couple A’s coparental satisfaction slightly increased and the romantic satisfaction somewhat decreased, whereas couple B’s coparental satisfaction remained stable and the romantic satisfaction slightly increased between the pre- and post-intervention assessments. The clinical analysis revealed that the interactional quality of couple A slightly improved within therapy sessions and that both partners succeeded in working together as coparents, notwithstanding their romantic distress. Couple B conveyed coparental distress and exhibited poor interactional quality throughout therapy sessions (e.g., repeated criticism and contempt). This study contributes to enriching the more traditional empirical research methods in the field of couple psychotherapy, as it takes into account microlevel affective changes within parent couples’ interactions in addition to self-reported data. Furthermore, the analysis of therapy sessions supports the importance of working with affective behavior in couple therapy.
This study analyzed the behaviors during married couples’ problem solving interactions with Markov analysis and test the predictable effect of these behaviors on marital satisfaction. The study involved 25 married couples. The findings show that gender had a significant effect on the behaviors during the interaction. Positive behaviors such as positive solution and acceptance facilitated the couples’ understanding each other, listening made the experienced problems clearer, criticizing such as making excuses caused a reaction that was ineffective; negative behaviors predicted marital satisfaction significantly.
Marital and relationship education (MRE) programs are educational interventions that teach couples skills aimed to enhance relationship quality and maintain long‐lasting relationships. MRE programs evolved from early premarital education interventions and have grown in popularity due to significant support from the US federal government. While initially provided to help well‐functioning couples maintain healthy relationships, as a result of an influx of federal support, MRE programs now reach people from low‐income and marginalized backgrounds who would not otherwise have access to relationship enhancement programs. Consequently, many people who now participate in MRE enter programs with greater relationship distress and challenging environmental stressors. Research indicates that MRE helps these couples improve communication, parenting quality, and overall relationship satisfaction. Additionally, MRE is now provided to people from multiple backgrounds and relationship contexts, such as those no longer in a relationship or attending without a partner, and in countries across the globe.
Es werden Gründe für die Partnerschaftspflege, Hintergründe und Ziele sowie verschiedene Möglichkeiten der Partnerschaftspflege und Prävention von Beziehungsstörungen vorgestellt. Von sehr niederschwelligen Angeboten wie Ratgebern, über DVDs für Paare bis hin zu Kursen zur Pflege der Partnerschaft werden verschiedene Ansätze vorgestellt und bezüglich ihrer Indikation diskutiert. Auf zwei Programme für Paare, welche im deutschen Sprachraum besonders bekannt sind (EPL und „Paarlife“), wird etwas vertiefter eingegangen. Studien zur Wirksamkeit der Beziehungspflege werden ebenso dargestellt wie Aussichten auf neuere Entwicklungen und Methoden diskutiert. Es wird dem Leser aufgezeigt, dass sich die Pflege der Partnerschaft für das psychische und physische Befinden, die Lebenszufriedenheit und Leistungsfähigkeit beider Partner lohnt, dass aber der Nutzen insbesondere auch im Falle von Kindern groß ist. Partnerschaftsstörungen gehören zu den wichtigsten Risikofaktoren für kindliche Auffälligkeiten. Entsprechend ist eine gut funktionierende Partnerschaft der Eltern ein wichtiger Protektivfaktor für Kinder.
The effectiveness of a theology-focused marriage preparation program was tested for a group of Catholic couples (N=200). Each couple had been married for less than five years and participated in the same program. The program covered a variety of topics from communication enhancement to a Catholic theology of marriage, including marriage as a vocation and natural family planning. The study assessed the retrospective perceptions of change for relational and spiritual behaviors and attitudes, in light of these theological and relationship teachings. Couples reported increases in positive thinking about the relationship, deeper understanding of marriage as a vocation, and improved communication. However, the program produced less change in Mass attendance, and NFP practice. Results were moderated by cohabitation history, support of mentor couples and length of marriage. Views of marriage in terms of vocation and increased knowledge of NFP were indirectly linked to higher relationship satisfaction via improved communication.
Marital and relationship education (MRE) programs are educational interventions that teach couples skills aimed to enhance relationship quality and maintain long‐lasting relationships. MRE programs evolved from early premarital education interventions and have grown in popularity due to significant support from the US federal government. While initially provided to help well‐functioning couples maintain healthy relationships, as a result of an influx of federal support, MRE programs now reach people from low‐income and marginalized backgrounds who would not otherwise have access to relationship enhancement programs. Consequently, many people who now participate in MRE enter programs with greater relationship distress and challenging environmental stressors. Research indicates that MRE helps these couples improve communication, parenting quality, and overall relationship satisfaction. Additionally, MRE is now provided to people from multiple backgrounds and relationship contexts, such as those no longer in a relationship or attending without a partner, and in countries across the globe.
Objective
To examine couple and parenting outcomes from an American version of Couple CARE for Parents (CCP) in low‐income, unmarried couples.
Background
We adapted an evidence‐based, flexibly delivered program for use with low‐income, unmarried couples, for whom the outcome literature is scarce.
Method
Couples (N = 443) were recruited from maternity units and began CCP. They completed measures before, during, and immediately after the intervention and again 6 months later.
Results
Experience of moderate psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) declined and perceived parenting efficacy increased over time; there was no change in severe psychological or physical IPV. Individuals with lower levels of relationship commitment than their partners showed improvement in relationship satisfaction, whereas those with similar or higher levels of commitment maintained their baseline levels despite being in a period of expected satisfaction decline.
Conclusion
CCP showed some signs of helping low‐income couples during a stressful period, and its flexible service delivery model allowed these couples to participate by reducing the impediments of transportation challenges, conflicting work schedules, and overall time poverty.
Implications
The results of this study suggest practitioners interested in using CCP with low‐income couples would likely maximize the impact by (a) focusing on pregnant, first‐time parents; (b) integrating CCP within postnatal health care; and (c) assuming that a considerable minority of couples will avail themselves of only up to two sessions, and thus practitioners should frontload content, making other content optional or just‐in‐time. In addition, nonpsychoeducational elements (e.g., gamification, easy computerized tasks to reduce angry responses, watching couple‐themed movies) could enliven preventative offerings for perinatal couples.
Little research has evaluated the associations of mindfulness training on couple romantic and sexual well-being and no research has examined the role of sexual mindfulness within an intervention. We introduced the Sexual Mindfulness Project (SMP) that addressed sexual relationships through daily mindfulness, sexual mindfulness (remaining aware and non-judgmental during sexual experiences), communication, and problem-solving skills which was taught in a structured intervention. We examined the effects of this program with committed couples (N = 5) who attended a two-session version of this project. We use mixed methods and examined themes from participant interviews and explored how sexual mindfulness in romantic and sexual relationships may prompt feelings of connection and intimacy. Qualitative results indicated improvement in individual, romantic, and sexual well-being. In addition, as appropriate, we integrate quantitative findings of change in sexual mindfulness and the other outcomes using retrospective pre-post design. We used a retrospective pre/post test to avoid reference frame bias, as sexual mindfulness is a skill that individuals may over-estimate on a pretest as participants know little about how to evaluate their sexual mindfulness. We found that the participants’ perception of the mechanism of change included their efforts to slow down, pay attention to their own sexual experience and/or feelings, communicate more effectively, and then address those feelings or thoughts with their partner in a non-judgmental, open, and accepting way.
A. Holtzworth-Munroe and G. L. Stuart (1994) proposed that 3 subtypes (family only [FO], borderline–dysphoric [BD], and generally violent–antisocial [GVA]) would be identified using 3 descriptive dimensions (i.e., severity of marital violence, generality of violence, psychopathology) and would differ on distal and proximal correlates of violence. Maritally violent men (n = 102) and their wives were recruited from the community, as were 2 comparison groups of nonviolent couples (i.e., maritally distressed and nondistressed). Four clusters of violent men were identified. Three resembled the predicted subtypes and generally differed in the manner predicted (e.g., FO men resembled nonviolent groups; BD men scored highest on measures of dependency and jealousy; GVA men had the most involvement with delinquent peers, substance abuse, and criminal behavior; and both BD and GVA men were impulsive, accepted violence, were hostile toward women, and lacked social skills). The 4th cluster (i.e., low-level antisocial) fell between the FO and GVA clusters on many measures.
This longitudinal study identified factors of couples' marital friendship in the beginning months of marriage that predicted stability versus decline in marital satisfaction over the transition to parenthood. Newlywed couples (N = 130) were followed longitudinally for 6 years. Forty-three couples became parents, and 39 childless couples served as a control group. Couples were interviewed about the history and philosophy of their relationship as newlyweds. What predicted the stable or increasing marital satisfaction of mothers were the husband's expression of fondness toward her, the husband's high awareness for her and their relationship, and her awareness for her husband and their relationship. In contrast, what predicted the decline in marital satisfaction of mothers were the husband's negativity toward his wife, the husband's disappointment in the marriage, or the husband or wife having described their lives as chaotic.
A longitudinal study with 95 newlywed couples examined the power of the Oral History Interview to predict stable marital relationships and divorce. A principal-components analysis of the interview with the couples (Time 1) identified a latent variable, perceived marital bond, that was significant in predicting which couples would remain married or divorce within the first 5 years of their marriage. A discriminant function analysis of the newlywed oral history data predicted, with 87.4% accuracy, those couples whose marriages remained intact or broke up at the Time 2 data collection point. The oral history data predicted with 81% accuracy those couples who remained married or divorced at the Time 3 data collection point. This study offers support for causal linkages between perceptual biases and selective attention on the path of marriage.
On the basis of a social learning analysis, it was hypothesized that a history of parental divorce would predispose partners to difficulties in managing conflict. Ninety-three engaged couples were videotaped while they discussed two areas of conflict. Each partner then completed a video-mediated recall procedure, an assessment of cognition during the interactions, which was then coded and analyzed. As predicted, couples in which the woman's parents had divorced showed more negative communication and cognitions during conflict discussions than did couples in which neither partner's parents had divorced. Contrary to predictions, couples in which the man's parents had divorced did not differ from couples in which neither partner's parents had divorced. The current research shows that, at least for women, a history of parental divorce is associated with more negative couple communication before marriage.
The association between marital dissatisfaction and 12-month prevalence rates of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev., 1987) Axis I psychiatric disorders was examined in married respondents from the National Comorbidity Survey (N = 2,538). Results indicate that marital dissatisfaction was associated with the presence of any disorder, any mood disorder, any anxiety disorder, and any substance-use disorder; dissatisfaction was also associated with 7 of 12 specific disorders for women and 3 of 13 specific disorders for men. To evaluate the unique association between marital dissatisfaction and psychiatric disorders, analyses were conducted controlling for comorbid disorders. Covariance analyses generally attenuated the bivariate associations between marital dissatisfaction and specific disorders and groupings of disorders. Results indicate that marital dissatisfaction was uniquely related to major depression and posttraumatic stress disorder for women and dysthymia for men.
There is a lack of psychoeducational programs for married couples who, although subjectively concerned about their marriages, do not seek marital therapy. In this study, the efficacy of a cognitive–behavioral program delivered on a weekend by 2 trainers for groups of 4 couples was investigated. Couples (n = 67) were recruited by newspaper announcements, then randomly assigned to the intervention program or a waiting-list control group. The program consisted of communication and problem-solving training, couples’ discussions to clarify their relationship expectations, and exercises to enhance their sensual or sexual relationship. At postassessment, intervention couples emitted more positive verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors during a conflict discussion task than did control couples, who reported significantly more relationship problem areas and displayed more negative communication behaviors. At the 1-year follow-up, intervention couples reported fewer problem areas in comparison with preassessment.
How spouses help each other contend with personal difficulties is an unexplored but potentially important domain for understanding how marital distress develops. Newly married couples participated in 2 interaction tasks: a problem-solving task in which spouses discussed a marital conflict and a social support task in which spouses discussed personal, nonmarital difficulties. Observational coding of these interactions showed that wives’ support solicitation and provision behaviors predicted marital outcomes 2 years later, independent of negative behaviors during marital problem-solving discussions. In addition, couples who exhibited relatively poor skills in both behavioral domains were at particular risk for later marital dysfunction. These results suggest that social support exchanges should be incorporated into social learning analyses of marriage and into programs designed to prevent marital distress.
Structural equation modeling with latent variables was used to test whether negative affectivity, or the cross-situational tendency to experience and express negative thoughts and feelings, correlates with spouses' attributions for relationship events and accounts for the association between attributions and satisfaction. Eighty married couples completed measures of marital satisfaction, attributions, and negative affectivity. Spouses high in negative affectivity tended to make maladaptive attributions, but spouses' attributions were unrelated to the level of negative affectivity reported by the partner. Attributions and marital satisfaction remained associated among husbands and wives after controlling for negative affectivity. These findings clarify the link between attributions and marital satisfaction and raise the possibility that negative affectivity contributes to the attributions that spouses make for negative events in marriage.
This article uses meta-analyses to determine the effectiveness of behavioral marital therapy (BMT) and premarital intervention (BPI) studies. The effect size for the 17 BMT studies was .95 and for the 7 BPI studies was .79, and these gains were generally maintained over time. Cross-cultural comparisons of BMT indicated equal benefits for couples in Europe and the United States. For BMT, effect sizes were higher for comparisons with no treatment versus placebo control groups, whereas the reverse was true for BPI. For BMT, effect sizes were similar for observational and self-report measures, whereas for BPI, effect sizes were larger for observational versus self-report measures.
This study examines the impact of an intervention designed to prevent divorce and marital distress. Both short- and long-term effects of a cognitive—behavioral marital distress prevention program were assessed. Forty-two couples planning marriage were matched and randomly assigned to intervention (n = 21) and control (n = 21) conditions. Couples participated in pre- and postintervention assessment sessions and in similar assessment sessions 1½ years and 3 years later. The intervention emphasized communication and problem-solving skills, clarifying and sharing expectations, and sensual/sexual enhancement. Although postintervention results indicated that couples learned the skills taught in the program, no group differences emerged on self-report measures of relationship quality. At 1½ years, intervention couples showed higher levels of relationship satisfaction than control couples. At 3 years, intervention couples showed higher levels of both relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction and lower levels of problem intensity. These data support cost-effective prevention programs for attacking the major social problem of divorce.
26 couples (mean age 20.3 yrs) planning marriage participated in the initial stage of the study, and 9 of the 21 couples remaining intact during the study completed data (including the Marital Relationship Inventory) at all 3 follow-up points. A correlation coefficient of .59 was obtained, indicating that the more positively premarital couples had rated their communication, the more satisfied they were with their relationship 5½ yrs later. Findings are consistent with the social learning model of marriage hypothesis that communication deficits precede the development of marital distress. (4 ref)
Shortly after marriage, 56 couples provided data on physical aggression and other predictors of marital adjustment. At 6-month intervals over the next 4 years, spouses reported on their marital quality and stability. Results indicated that marital dysfunction was more common among aggressive than among nonaggressive couples (70% vs. 38%) and among severely aggressive than among moderately aggressive couples (93% vs. 46%). Aggression remained a reliable predictor of marital outcomes after the authors controlled for stressful events and negative communication. These findings help to refine developmental models of marital dysfunction, which often overlook the role of aggression, and can provide information for prevention programs for marital distress, which typically do not distinguish between aggressive and nonaggressive couples.
The hypothesis that attachment insecurity would be associated with remaining in an unhappy marriage was tested. One hundred seventy-two newly married couples participated in a 4-year longitudinal study with multiple assessment points. Hierarchical linear models revealed that compared with spouses in happy marriages and divorced spouses, spouses who were in stable but unhappy marriages showed the highest levels of insecurity initially and over time. Spouses in stable, unhappy marriages also had lower levels of marital satisfaction than divorced spouses and showed relatively high levels of depressive symptoms initially and over time. Results suggest that spouses at risk for stable, unhappy marriages can be identified early and may benefit from interventions that increase the security of spouses' attachment to each other.
This article reports the 4- and 5-year follow-up results of evaluating the effects of a marital distress prevention program. The program, Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP), is a 5-session program designed to teach couples effective communication and conflict management skills. At the 5-year follow-up, intervention, as compared with control, couples had higher levels of positive and lower levels of negative communication skills and lower levels of marital violence. Data are also presented on couples who declined the program. Issues are discussed concerning selection effects, change mechanisms, and future directions for prevention research.
Measures of communication and aggression, taken from 56 newlywed couples, were used to predict marital outcomes 4 years later. Aggression discriminated between separated or divorced couples and those who remained married. In contrast, communication discriminated between couples who were maritally satisfied after 4 years and those who were married but dissatisfied. Thus, over the Ist 4 years of marriage, marital satisfaction and dissolution appear to be predicted by separate factors. These results remained unchanged after controlling for initial marital satisfaction. Additional analyses showed that 68% of the marriages could be accurately classified into their outcome groups using communication and aggression variables. These results help to integrate prior marital research on communication and aggression, and they suggest that it may be necessary to focus on both factors in efforts to strengthen marriages and prevent divorce.
This article argues that marriage and cohabitation are associated with important differences in work patterns, earnings, treatment
of money, use of leisure time, social relations with the extended family, the division of household labor, and fertility.
We hypothesize that these differences lead those considering the formation of a household to consider their attitudes toward
these aspects of life, which appear to be so different in marriage from those in cohabitation. Using data from the National
Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, we test and find support for the hypothesis that the choice between cohabitation
and marriage is affected by attitudes and values toward work, family, use of leisure time, money, and sex roles, as well as
values and attitudes toward marriage itself.
A description of the PAIRS marital enrichment/preventative program through the eyes of its practitioners. PAIRS is a holistic and multi-dimensional therapeutic intervention of distressed and non-distressed couples.
Although much has been learned from cross-sectional research on marriage, an understanding of how marriages develop, succeed, and fail is best achieved with longitudinal data. In view of growing interest in longitudinal research on marriage, the authors reviewed and evaluated the literature on how the quality and stability of marriages change over time. First, prevailing theoretical perspectives are examined for their ability to explain change in marital quality and stability. Second, the methods and findings of 115 longitudinal studies—representing over 45,000 marriages—are summarized and evaluated, yielding specific suggestions for improving this research. Finally, a model is outlined that integrates the strengths of previous theories of marriage, accounts for established findings, and indicates new directions for research on how marriages change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
How do marriages become unhappy? How do marriages change? What are the theories and methods that can best illuminate our understanding of marital development? This 1998 volume comprehensively explores how marriages develop and deteriorate, and in doing so, brings together leading scholars to present research on the longitudinal course of marriage. The chapters share a common focus on the early phases of marriage but address a diverse array of topics, including marital conflict, personality, social support, the transition to parenthood, violence, ethnicity, stress, alcohol use, commitment and sexuality. Implications of this research for alleviating marital distress are also noted. The book concludes with six provocative analyses by prominent scholars in the areas of sociology, clinical psychology, social psychology and developmental psychology.
How do marriages become unhappy? How do marriages change? What are the theories and methods that can best illuminate our understanding of marital development? This 1998 volume comprehensively explores how marriages develop and deteriorate, and in doing so, brings together leading scholars to present research on the longitudinal course of marriage. The chapters share a common focus on the early phases of marriage but address a diverse array of topics, including marital conflict, personality, social support, the transition to parenthood, violence, ethnicity, stress, alcohol use, commitment and sexuality. Implications of this research for alleviating marital distress are also noted. The book concludes with six provocative analyses by prominent scholars in the areas of sociology, clinical psychology, social psychology and developmental psychology.
How do marriages become unhappy? How do marriages change? What are the theories and methods that can best illuminate our understanding of marital development? This 1998 volume comprehensively explores how marriages develop and deteriorate, and in doing so, brings together leading scholars to present research on the longitudinal course of marriage. The chapters share a common focus on the early phases of marriage but address a diverse array of topics, including marital conflict, personality, social support, the transition to parenthood, violence, ethnicity, stress, alcohol use, commitment and sexuality. Implications of this research for alleviating marital distress are also noted. The book concludes with six provocative analyses by prominent scholars in the areas of sociology, clinical psychology, social psychology and developmental psychology.
Examined a measure of marital power based on the clinical description of the "dominance through talking" and the "dominance through listening" patterns (N. S. Jacobson and A. Holtzworth-Munroe, 1986) and defined in terms of asymmetry in the relative frequencies of verbal communication content patterns. Ss included 23 happily married couples and 31 distressed couples seeking marital therapy. Marital power was assessed from transcripts made from the couples engaged in discussing the events of their day. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale was used to measure marital satisfaction. Results indicate an inverse relationship between marital satisfaction and power inequality. Power inequality prior to therapy predicted positive treatment outcome at posttest and at 6-mo follow-up for couples receiving a regimen of social-learning-based marital therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
A conceptual framework for studying the prevention ofhuman dysfunction is offered. On the basis of recent ad-vances in research on the development of psychologicaldisorders and methods of preventive intervention, gener-alizations about the relation of risk and protective factorsto disorder are put forward, along with a set of principlesfor what may be identified as the science of prevention.Emerging themes from the study of human development,in general, need to be incorporated in the models for ex-plaining and preventing serious problems of human ad-aptation. The article concludes with a set of recommen-dations for a national prevention research agenda.
Seventy-three couples were studied at 2 time points 4 years apart. A typology of 5 groups of couples is proposed on the basis of observational data of Time 1 resolution of conflict, specific affects, and affect sequences. Over the 4 years, the groups of couples differed significantly in serious considerations of divorce and in the frequency of divorce. There were 3 groups of stable couples: validators, volatiles, and avoiders, who could be distinguished from each other on problem-solving behavior, specific affects, and persuasion attempts. There were 2 groups of unstable couples: hostile and hostile/detached, who could be distinguished from each other on problem-solving behavior and on specific negative and positive affects. A balance theory of marriage is proposed, which explores the idea that 3 distinct adaptations exist for having a stable marriage.
The widespread reluctance of marital practitioners to conduct standardized assessments may be indicative of the difficulties involved in identifying and selecting useful measures from the burgeoning assessment literature. To address this problem, a model of marital functioning is presented that organizes the large body of longitudinal research on marriage. For each of the 4 components of the model-involving Marital Quality and Stability, Adaptive Processes, Stressful Events, and Enduring Vulnerabilities-several potentially potentially useful self-report instruments or observational procedures are described.
The relationship between cohabitation and subsequent marital quality was investigated with data from 309 recently married couples. Having cohabited premaritally was associated with significantly lower perceived quality of communication for wives and significantly lower marital satisfaction for both spouses. After controlling for sex-role traditionalism, church attendance, and other sociocultural differences between cohabitors and noncohabitors, having cohabited was still associated with slightly lower satisfaction for husbands and wives. The decrement in satisfaction associated with cohabitation is not accounted for either by differential commitment to marital permanence or by the greater amount of time in which cohabitors have been intimately involved.
The ability of marital researchers to interpret and build upon previous research has been hindered by a lack of data on the procedures used to recruit subjects. The current studies address this short-coming by examining the effects of different sampling techniques on the samples obtained in marital research. In Study 1, couples recruited through newspaper advertisements were found to be at greater risk for marital discord than couples recruited through marriage licenses, on the basis of demography, premarital experiences, personality, and marital satisfaction. In Study 2, couples who responded to a mailed solicitation were found to be less traditional and of higher status in terms of jobs and education than couples who did not respond, on the basis of data available for all couples from their marriage licenses. Effect-size estimates indicate that sampling technique had greater effects on sample composition than self-selection bias. Based on these findings, five recommendations are made for improving the quality of sampling procedures in marital research.
Using sexual exclusivity as an indication of commitment to a partner, we examine commitment within dating, cohabitation, and marriage. Employing data from the National Survey of Women (1991), we find that cohabitation, in terms of sexual commitment, is more similar to dating than marriage, and that cohabitation, relative to marriage is selective of less committed individuals. In addition, limiting our analyses to currently married women, we find that the characteristics emphasized in partner selection by those who cohabit before marriage differ from the characteristics emphasized by those who do not cohabit before marriage, and that these characteristics influence sexual exclusivity among prior cohabitors.
We highlight findings from the first 12 years of a longitudinal study of the prediction and prevention of marital distress and divorce and discuss new directions in the dissemination and evaluation of an empirically based prevention program for couples. We summarize the history and state of our program and discuss the key issues and implications of moving an empirically validated intervention out of the laboratory and into settings where it can help a wider base of couples prevent marital breakdown. We then describe our pilot studies that investigate the dissemination and use of our preventive intervention with couples who marry within religious organizations and with expectant couples where the mother is at high risk for maternal depression.
The immediate and long-term effectiveness of the Minnesota Couple Communication Program (MCCP) was investigated. Forty-three couples were assigned randomly to a MCCP or attention-placebo control group. Nine couples were recruited for a notreatment control group. The results indicated the MCCP had a positive effect on the couple's use of an open-style communication and on the perceived quality of the couple's relationship immediately after training. However, follow-up testing indicated that only the positive changes in perceived quality of relationship persisted. The MCCP appears to be an effective program in the short-run, but some modifications in the MCCP may be necessary to improve long-term effectiveness.
The purpose of this investigation was to advance the study of marital change across the transition to parenthood by moving beyond the study of central tendencies to examine variation in the manner and extent to which spouses' experiences of their mates and their marital relationships changed from the last trimester of pregnancy through three years postpartum. Analyses of marital data collected at four points in time on 128 middle- and working-class families rearing a firstborn child resulted in the identification of four distinct patterns of marital change, which were labeled accelerating decline, linear decline, no change, and modest positive increase. In a series of developmentally ordered discriminant function analyses, efforts were made to distinguish decliners from increasers by using demographic, personality, and marital information collected prenatally; data on infant temperament and change in infant temperament obtained at three and nine months postpartum, respectively; and data on negative life events and income change collected at three years postpartum. Analyses revealed that patterns of marital change are determined by multiple factors and are largely identifiable prior to the infant's birth. Postnatal information on infant temperament often improved the ability to discriminate marriages that declined and improved in quality across the transition to parenthood.
A preventive intervention was randomly offered to a group of 67 non- to mildly distressed couples who participated in a larger study on relationships. At the 9-month follow-up, couples in which one partner experienced parental divorce demonstrated a significant increase in problem intensity and a trend toward decreased problem solving ability and relational efficacy, whereas couples from intact families of origin showed the opposite. At the 2-year follow-up, no significant differences were found between the two groups. At both follow-ups, participation in the preventive intervention did not appear to have a protective influence on decline in relationship functioning for persons whose parents divorced and their partners.
Using Bowenian theory as a foundation, this study examined the hypothesis that properties of close relationships are transmitted from one generation to the next. A large sample of single, never married, late adolescents (N = 977) completed measures regarding trait anxiety, family dynamics (triangulation, fusion, and control) in the family of origin, and communication patterns in romantic relationships. Multivariate regression analyses indicated that fusion and control were associated with higher anxiety. In addition, fusion and control in the family of origin were related to communication in romantic relationships of late adolescents. In accordance with Bowenian theory, anxiety mediated the effects of fusion and control in the family of origin on romantic relationships. Although triangulation in the family of origin was unrelated to anxiety, triangulation was related to aversive communication in close relationships. The findings provide partial confirmation and suggest several extensions to Bowen's theory of intergenerational transmission.
An initial definition of marital and family enrichment sets the boundaries for the review. The subareas reviewed include methodology and interpretation; subject characteristics and populations; format, composition, process, and leadership; component effectiveness comparisons; and program effectiveness comparisons. For each area, the major research contributions of the decade are briefly summarized and recommendations are offered for research in the 1990s.
Using a repeated cross-sectional design to trace marital success and failure in five American 10-year marriage cohorts from 1973 to 1994 reveals no convincing evidence of an increase in aggregate-level marital success at any duration in the first five decades after first marriage. The higher mean level of marital quality in late-term than in mid-term marriages shown by cross-sectional studies apparently results largely from cohort differences in marital success.
In order to assess the cross-cultural consistency of marital communication associated with marital distress, the problem-solving behaviors of four samples of couples were compared: (1) maritally unhappy couples (n = 24) from Munich, Germany, (2) maritally happy couples (n = 12) from Munich, (3) maritally unhappy couples (n = 20) from Brisbane, Australia, and (4) maritally happy couples (n = 20) from Brisbane. Across cultures, distressed couples engaged in significantly higher rates of negative verbal and nonverbal behaviors, and were more likely to engage in coercive escalation. Some cultural differences were evident; the German couple had higher rates of the negative verbal behaviors of criticism and refusals than the Australian couples. The happy Australian couples were much less likely to respond negatively to the neutral or negative responses of their partners than the other three groups. It was concluded that there are important cultural differences in the frequency and functional significance of negative verbal communication, but there also are some cross-culturally consistent marital communication behaviors associated with marital distress.
Researchers frequently postulate a strong relationship between religiosity and marital stability. We incorporate a multidimensional specification of religiosity into event-history models of the religion-marital stability relationship. Results are based on panel data from the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 4,587 married couples). While no single dimension of religiosity adequately describes the effect of religious experience on marital stability, the frequency of religious attendance has the greatest positive impact on marital stability. When both spouses attend church regularly, the couple has the lowest risk of divorce. Spouse differences in church attendance increase the risk of dissolution. All significant religious affiliation influences disappear once demographic characteristics are controlled. The wife's religious beliefs concerning marital commitment and nonmarital sex are more important to the stability of the marriage than the husband's beliefs.
Within a sample of 51 middle-aged wives, a strong correlation was found between length of time spent dating their current spouses and current marital satisfaction. At the same time, correlations between marital satisfaction and age at marriage and number of break-ups during the dating period were not significant. A heterogeneous dispersion of residuals was detected such that those who dated only a short period of time provided a much wider range of responses for marital satisfaction than those who dated a longer time. Thus, a longer period of dating was associated with a higher probability of a happy marriage but did not appear to be a necessary condition. Implications for premarital education are discussed.
This article describes The Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP), an empirically based intervention program that has been designed to prevent marital distress and divorce. The results of longitudinal studies indicating PREP's short-term and long-term effectiveness are presented. Clinical implications, current dissemination efforts in the United States and Europe, and future implementation and research directions of PREP are discussed.