effects on children – The Relationship Educator

Are Federally Supported Relationship Education Programs for Lower-Income Individuals and Couples Working?

A Review of Evaluation Research

by Alan J. Hawkins

The Bottom-line First. From the beginning of the federal Healthy Marriage and Relationships Education (HMRE) policy initiative, there has been an impressive body of serious evaluation work on the effectiveness of relationship education programs designed to help lower income couples form and sustain healthy relationships and marriages. Large-scale, rigorous, randomized controlled trial evaluation studies reveal promising successes, disappointing failures, and nuanced findings in-between. Critics’ claims that the HMRE initiative has been a failure are challenged by a thorough investigation of the research in this area. Still, federal policy needs to support more innovative approaches and strategies to increase the reach of relationship education services and improve their effectiveness. The initiative needs to move beyond a focus on program success to population impact. Continue reading “Are Federally Supported Relationship Education Programs for Lower-Income Individuals and Couples Working?”

Improving Couples’ Relationship Leads to Improved Coparenting

by Devan Clayton

The Bottom-line First. The ultimate benefit of relationship education may be improving the well-being of children. A recent study shows how a home-visiting program for rural African American couples not only improves their relationship, but that an improved relationship leads to better coparenting. Continue reading “Improving Couples’ Relationship Leads to Improved Coparenting”

For the Children: Does Couple and Relationship Education Influence Child Well-Being Through Enhanced Couple Functioning?

by Hailey Palmer

The Bottom-Line First: The Supporting Father Involvement program is a co-parenting, preventative intervention aimed at strengthening the couple relationship and increasing the quantity and quality of fathers’ involvement. An evaluation study published just last month reported that the Supporting Father Involvement program reduces couple conflict and by so doing leads to less harsh parenting which leads to fewer child behavior problems. Continue reading “For the Children: Does Couple and Relationship Education Influence Child Well-Being Through Enhanced Couple Functioning?”

Does Relationship Education Improve Children’s Well-being?

by Alan J. Hawkins

The Bottom-Line (at the Top): This blog builds on Jennifer’s blog last week on how RE can affect children’s social skills. The ultimate purpose of couple relationship education (CRE) is to improve couple relationships as a way to increase their children’s well-being. A small number of CRE evaluation studies have shown small effects on children’s well-being. The most recent one of the “Parents as Partners” program in Great Britain not only found that the program strengthens couple relationships and improves individual psychological well-being, but it also increased fathers’ involvement with their children and reduced their children’s emotional and behavioral problems. Continue reading “Does Relationship Education Improve Children’s Well-being?”