Tag: Within Our Reach

Relationship Education and its impact on Intentionality and Awareness

By Sarah Hokanson

The Bottom-Line First: Helping couples become more aware and more intentional about their relationship may be the primary way that relationship education (RE) programs are able to strengthen couple relationships. What the couple brings into the RE experience, the current state of their relationship, as well as the RE workshop, the impact of the workshop, and an exit/follow-up interview all strengthen the couple’s intentionality and awareness. Continue reading “Relationship Education and its impact on Intentionality and Awareness”

Important, Rigorous Government Study Finds Positive Impacts of RE Programs

by Alan J. Hawkins

The bottom-line (at the top): There has been a healthy debate over how effective relationship education (RE) programs for disadvantaged couples have been. Over the 12 years, the Administration for Children and Families has been pursuing a policy of support for RE programs to improve couple relationships and family stability. The mixed results so far call for more research. That’s why I have been anxiously awaiting the results of the Parents and Children Together evaluation study, another rigorous test of the effectiveness of RE. Good news! This study found positive effects on a range of important outcomes. Continue reading “Important, Rigorous Government Study Finds Positive Impacts of RE Programs”

Different Ways to View Program Effectiveness

A Person-Oriented Approach to Evaluating Couple Relationship Education

by Jennifer Griffith

The Bottom-Line (at the Top): There are different ways to gauge whether RE programs are working. The most typical way is to measure the average change of participants. But another valuable way is to focus on variation in how participants change or stay the same, identifying different patterns of change of participants and those who benefit more or less. A recent study with a large, mostly Hispanic sample of couples looked at change with both approaches. It was couples who started the program in the mid-range of communication skills and relationship satisfaction who benefitted the most from the RE program. Continue reading “Different Ways to View Program Effectiveness”