Author: Jennifer Griffith

Premarital Relationship Education and Its Effect on Newlywed Help-Seeking

by Jennifer Griffith

The Bottom-line First. One of the most important benefits of premarital education may be its ability to increase spouses’ willingness to seek help down the road for the inevitable problems of early married life, and to seek help sooner and at lower levels of distress. Marriage therapists are cheering the findings of a recent study documenting these important benefits of premarital education. Continue reading “Premarital Relationship Education and Its Effect on Newlywed Help-Seeking”

“Survey Says”… The Effectiveness of Program Satisfaction and Learning Questionnaires at Predicting Later Marital Quality

by Jennifer Griffith

The Bottom-line First: If program administrators don’t have the resources to do a rigorous, long-term evaluation of the impact of their relationship education programs, what other options do they have to document program effectiveness? As it turns out, recent research suggests that simple post-program surveys of participants’ reports of learning and intent to change are pretty good predictors of relationship outcomes down the road. Continue reading ““Survey Says”… The Effectiveness of Program Satisfaction and Learning Questionnaires at Predicting Later Marital Quality”

Can Relationship Checkups Work?

By Jennifer Griffith

The Bottom-line First: Checkups are a good way to identify health issues before they become bigger problems. Could relationship checkups work the same way as a dental checkup? A recent study found that brief relationship checkups with feedback to couples can strengthen their relationships, even when the feedback is given impersonally by a computer-generated report. Read more. Continue reading “Can Relationship Checkups Work?”

The Rewards of Compassionate Acts

by Jennifer Griffith

The Bottom-line First: Is compassion really its own reward? In this study, the authors found that small, daily acts of compassion for your spouse improve both your spouse’s well-being and your own. Although the effect is greatest when spouses mutually recognize these selfless acts, even when a spouse does not notice an act it still improves the well-being of the giver.  Continue reading “The Rewards of Compassionate Acts”