Publication year
2014
Citation Title
A randomized controlled trial of relationship education in the U.S. Army: 2-year outcomes
Journal Name
Family Relations
Journal Volume
63
Issue Number
4
Page Numbers
482-495
DOI
10.1111/fare.12083
Summary
The effectiveness of an evidence-based, couple relationship education (CRE) program was evaluated at two Army bases. The Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program with an additional focus on coping with deployments and reunions was used. A randomized controlled trial with two years of follow-up that examined marital quality and stability was conducted.
Key Findings
There was no evidence of long term effects on couples’ relationship quality.
Couples assigned to the higher risk site were significantly less likely than controls to be divorced at the 2-year follow-up.
For ethnic minority couples, 3.8% of the intervention group divorced compared to 15.7% of the control group.
Couples who reported greater economic strain tended to show greater benefit from the intervention.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer couples’ relationship programs that focus on coping with military family stressors, such as deployments and relocation
Promote, across military branches, the benefits of relationship programs that focus on military family stressors and coping strategies
Develop training for military professionals to facilitate relationship workshops
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage awareness among military professionals on the importance of relationship education programs for military couples
Extend and support policies that include military couples and their families
Continue support for programs that focus on prevention of military family stressors and development of coping strategies
Methods
Couples were recruited at two Army bases via brochures, media stories, posters, and referrals from the u.c. Chaplains.
Each participant separately completed baseline questionnaires as well as multiple assessments over the 2 year study.
Analyses were based on data collected at pre-and post-intervention and four follow-up assessments; the fourth being 2 years after the post-assessment.
Participants
A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial of the Strength At Home Men's Program for Partner Violence in Military Veterans
About three-quarters of the couples were White, around 10% were Latino/Latina, 10% Black, 2% Native American, and 2% Asian-American, and 5% endorsed mixed race/ethnicity.
Couples had been married an average of 4.93 years, and 74% reported at least one child living with them at least part-time.
Limitations
This sample did not include couples who were or had been in poverty, so no claims can be made about CRE and its effectiveness with this population.
Generalizability was limited due to the inclusion of only one military branch and two Army bases.
Couples participating in the study at Site 1 received the training in a different manner to participants at Site 2 which could affect the outcomes of the program from Site 1 to Site 2.
Avenues for Future Research
Future research may benefit from including objectively coded data of couples interactions, as observational methods have shown the largest impacts from CRE in meta-analyses
Additional research could engage in longer term follow-ups with the same group of couples
Future research could look at the effectiveness of the intervention on couples who experience unique military stressors, such as relocation or separation
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
This study examined the effectiveness of an evidence-based, community-delivered adaptation of couple relationship education (CRE) program (specifically, The Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program [PREP]) delivered at two Army installations. The study is a randomized controlled trial with 2 years of follow-up examining marital quality and stability. Sample composition was 662 married couples with a spouse in the U.S. Army. Analyses yielded no evidence of overall enduring intervention effects on relationship quality, but couples assigned to intervention at the higher risk site were significantly less likely than controls to be divorced at the 2-year follow-up (8.1% vs. 14.9%, p<.01). This effect was moderated by ethnic minority status. Specifically, the impact of the intervention on divorce was strongest for minority couples. The findings add to the literature on who may benefit most from CRE.
Abstract Document
PRTW Document
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