Publication year
2017
Citation Title
Associations between participant ratings of PREP for Strong Bonds and marital outcomes one year postintervention.
Journal Name
Military Psychology
Journal Volume
29
Issue Number
4
Page Numbers
283–293
DOI
10.1037/mil0000155
Summary
Relationship education programs are designed to improve relationship outcomes. Over 300 participants participated in the Prevention and Relationship Education Program (PREP) for Strong Bonds, and their ratings of the program, marital satisfaction, and communication skills were measured one year after the program. Results revealed that participants' ratings of the program modestly predicted marital outcomes one year after the intervention.
Key Findings
Couples' marital outcomes one year after the program were not related to their overall satisfaction level with the program or the program leaders.
Couples' communication skills were associated with their ratings of how much they learned, program helpfulness, and helpfulness of communication skills training.
People who reported being more willing to invest time in the relationship, more confident in constructive communication, and more willing to work as a team were more likely to have higher marital satisfaction.
Implications for Program Leaders
Develop classes and workshops for military couples to increase their marital satisfaction and communication skills
Organize activities for military couples so that they have the opportunity to enjoy time together and bond with each other
Offer support groups for couples who are in distress so that they can learn from each other and share experiences
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support relationship education programs that are tailored to the needs of military couples
Encourage training for professionals who work with military couples on how to teach couples communication skills
Continue to support programs aimed at increasing military family well-being and marital satisfaction
Methods
Couples were recruited via brochures, media stories, posters, and referrals from chaplains; all couples were married, received at least a portion of PREP intervention, and remained married one year after the intervention.
Follow-up assessments were conducted one year post the PREP intervention and included questions regarding program evaluation, marital satisfaction, and communication skills.
Data were analyzed to examine the relationships between PREP ratings and marital outcomes one year after the program.
Participants
Participants were 368 individuals from 191 couples (181 males and 187 females) who received PREP interventions one year ago and completed the follow-up assessment; the average age of male participants was 28.2 years (SD = 5.7) and the average age of female participants was 27.3 years (SD = 6.1).
The majority of male participants were White (68%), followed by Latino (13%), Black (11%), Multiracial (3%), Asian (2%), Native American (2%), and others (1%); most female participants were White (68%), followed by Latina (14%), Black (10%), Multiracial (6%), and others (2%).
Most male participants were Active Duty Soldiers (97%) and most females were civilians (91%).
Limitations
The average marital satisfaction at baseline (5.62 out of 7) and program satisfaction (6.27 out of 7) were both high, therefore the results may be biased due to ceiling effects (score limitation at the top of a scale).
All participants were affiliated with the Army, therefore the results may not apply to individuals affiliated with other military branches.
Only married couples were included in the study, so caution must be taken when generalizing the results to couples who are not married but living together.
Avenues for Future Research
Conduct longitudinal studies to examine the long-term associations between PREP ratings and participants' marital outcomes years after the program
Examine the effectiveness of PREP intervention in military branches other than the Army
Investigate whether the PREP intervention can improve relationship satisfaction in unmarried couples
Focus
Army
Target Population
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
After completing a relationship education program, collecting participant evaluations of the program is common practice. These are generally used as an index of “consumer satisfaction” with the program, with implications for feasibility and quality. Rarely have these ratings been used as predictors of changes in marital quality, although such feedback may be the only data providers collect or have immediate access to when considering the success of their efforts. To better understand the utility of such ratings to predict outcomes, we evaluated links between participant ratings and changes in self-reported marital satisfaction and communication scores 1 year later for a sample of 191 Army couples who had participated in a relationship education program delivered by Army chaplains (PREP for Strong Bonds). Overall ratings of general satisfaction with the program and the leader did not predict changes in marital outcomes 1 year later, whereas higher ratings of how much was learned, program helpfulness, increased similarity in outlook regarding Army life, and helpfulness of communication skills training predicted greater change in communication skills 1 year later. Higher ratings of items reflecting intent to invest more time in the relationship, and increased confidence in constructive communication and working as a team with the spouse predicted greater increases in both marital satisfaction and communication skills 1 year later. The constructs of intention and confidence (akin to perceived behavioral control) suggest that the Theory of Planned Behavior may be particularly useful when considering which Army couples will show ongoing benefit after relationship education.
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