New Study of Skills-Based Relationship Education Yields Promising Results for Low Income Married Couples

SAN DIEGO, March 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Results of a federally funded, yearlong Relationship and Marriage Education program for low-income married couples show many positive impacts on the quality of couples' relationships.  Compared with a control group, couples who participated in one of the Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) programs showed higher levels of marital happiness, lower levels of marital distress, greater warmth and support, more positive communication, and fewer negative behaviors and emotions in their interactions with their spouses when compared with couples in the control group.

The SHM study focused on evaluating the impact of four different Relationship and Marriage Education programs lasting 6-15 weeks along with supplemental activities designed to help couples practice relationship skills and a variety of additional family support services.  This early report comparing outcomes among 6,298 couples with children or expecting a child will be followed in months to come by more comprehensive analyses of longer-term outcomes.

Healthy Relationships California (HRC) Vice President, Patty Howell, is pleased with these early findings. "While there is more that needs to be learned in this emerging and promising field, after decades of family breakdown trends, this is encouraging news, especially for low-income and at-risk couples.  As an organization that has conducted similar types of classes over the last six years, we know that skills-based Relationship and Marriage Education can make a very big difference in people's lives and in family stability." 

HRC recently released some findings from its own five-year Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grant project that surveyed 17,245 Californians who took one of several programs available for couples. On average, married participants experienced an increase in relationship satisfaction of more than 13% immediately after taking a Marriage Education course.  This improvement increased to 16% after 30 days, and stayed at 14% when measured six months later.  Even more astounding, participants reported a 23% improvement in their communication skills, increasing to 27% after 30 days and remaining at that level 6 months later.

Healthy Relationships California received the largest Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Administration for Children and Families between 2006-2011, and is currently the recipient of one of the Federal government's largest Community-Centered Healthy Marriage and Relationship Grants.  Over the past six years, HRC has taught proven relationship-building skills to more than 120,000 Californians in classes offered through local partner organizations throughout the state. Find classes at www.RelationshipsCA.org.

SOURCE Healthy Relationships California