The phenomenon of divorce and marital maladjustment in Saudi society is the ultimate concern of this paper, with the goal of addressing this issue by conducting a study in order to understand married Saudi women’s experiences and perceptions that may be used to develop a premarital education program. This research conducted individual, semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 27 Saudi women who have been married for five years or less. The responses were discussed based on the prescriptive skills approach, the principles-based approach, and mindfulness-based approach. As evidenced in the responses of the participants, multiple relationship weaknesses are common to most of the marriages, with conflict management problems the most common weakness that Saudi women perceive in their marriages. However, a few key relationship strengths keep marital relationships intact. Based on participant feedback, premarital education programs for individuals and couples would be highly beneficial to the marital relationship health of couples in Saudi Arabia, and are a viable method for decreasing the divorce rate in Saudi Arabia.

This study utilized focus groups to assess the perceived needs and interests for marriage education among single and married Latino individuals residing in Utah County, Utah as well as the identification of common themes and differences for this population. Male and female groups at various points in the marital developmental life stage were studied including high school students (15-18 years of age), single never married young adults (19-30 years of age), committed (engaged or cohabiting) adults, married persons recently transitioning to parenting, and married people with children. The sample consisted of 10 groups, 5 female and 5 male. In addition, a professional group consisting of professionals who are in daily contact with the Latino population also participated (N=12). A total of 53 Latino individuals and 12 professionals were interviewed in the focus groups. The participants were asked 14 open-ended questions to assess various elements of marriage education including content, cost, convenient locations, sources of information, perceived barriers to getting services as well as strategies on how to get people involved in marriage education programs. The data from the focus groups were analyzed using inductive qualitative methods. The findings showed that most females were concerned about domestic violence and infidelity as topics in marriage education while males were more concerned about having financial stability, improving communication skills and increase their parenting skills. These results support the importance of conducting focus groups as a way to assess marriage education needs and interests of the Latino population. Limitations for future research are discussed, implications for marriage education programming for Latino couples as well as implications for marriage and family therapists.

Master of Science / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Karen Myers-Bowman / As we pass the decade mark of the Global War on Terrorism, the hidden causalities, such as the long-term impact of multiple deployments on marriages, become more apparent. Military couples experiencing repeated combat-related deployments are at an increased risk for marital distress, especially relationships that exhibit negative interaction patterns. Marriage and relationship education programs have the potential to equip military couples with conflict management skills, such as positive reframing and open communication, to increase marital satisfaction. This content analysis examined three relevant marriage and relationship education resources – PREP for Strong Bonds, ScreamFree Marriage, and Marriage LINKS - presently utilized by military couples. Each marriage and relationship education program reviewed utilized similar themes found in the research literature. Results of the analysis indicate a combination of their skill sets, accompanied by a concentration on specific challenges unique to military marriages, would be more effective in improving marital satisfaction than the models as they currently stand.

Using the results of 65 reports, this study examined the effect of marriage and relationship education (MRE) on couples' communication, and accounted for various moderators of this effect, including method of assessment and unit of analysis. This study is part of a comprehensive meta-analysis of MRE evaluation research conducted since 1975 (k = 124 codable reports). Overall, MRE produced modest but reliable effects on couples' communication. These effects were maintained at follow-up assessments and were not affected significantly by publication bias. No differences in effect were found for gender. Observational assessments did produce larger effects than self-report assessments. MRE produced the largest effect on positive conflict resolution outcomes. These results have important implications for research, intervention, and policy.

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of the readiness assurance process of team-based learning (TBL) in virtually isolated settings. Many Internet sites offer courses for adults to use on their own without access to mentors or other learners. However, educational theory suggests that people learn better with others than by themselves. The focus of this investigation was whether the inclusion of the readiness assurance process would increase participants’ levels of learning based on Bloom’s revised taxonomy within the limits of virtual isolation. In this study an experimental pretest-posttest design was employed. Using a 2- day mini-course about listening in marriage, 117 participants were randomly assigned to three groups. In the TBL group, married couples worked together following the principles of the readiness assurance process. In the independent group, one spouse from a marriage worked alone, also following the principles of the readiness assurance process. In the baseline group, one spouse from a marriage took the pretest and posttest only. The first posttest, called posttest-L, measured lower levels of learning (remembering and understanding). The second posttest, called posttest-D, measured deeper learning (applying and evaluating). Using ANCOVA with the pretests as the covariates, results showed a statistically significant difference in learning gains between the TBL group and the independent group for lower levels of learning (ES = .39). However, statistical significance was not achieved for deeper learning. Moreover, TBL scores and independent scores were no different from the baseline scores for measures of deeper learning. Along with explanations for these results, limitations of the study are described and suggestions for future research are offered.

In the past few decades, several meta-analytic studies have attempted to answer the question: Is marriage education effective (Carroll & Doherty, 2003; Halford, Markman, Kline & Stanley, 2003; Reardon-Anderson, Stagner, Macomber, & Murray, 2004)? However, previous meta-analytic studies have been somewhat limited in their conclusions because they have reviewed a narrow portion of the marriage education spectrum (e.g. premarital education only, Carroll & Doherty, 2003), because they focused only on one particular program (e.g, Couples Communication, Butler & Wampler, 1999), because they failed to differentiate marital therapy from marital education programs (Reardon-Anderson et al., 2005), or because they excluded much of the mainstream of marriage education due to methodological restrictions (e.g, random assignment studies only, Reardon-Anderson et al., 2005). The current meta-analysis is uniquely qualified to better answer whether marriage education is effective. It examines the full range of marital education from marriage preparation to early marriage and across the marital life span. It excludes studies that evaluate therapy programs and interventions, thus providing a more focused test of marriage education rather than a broader test of marriage intervention. It also allows for analysis of programs more representative of the mainstream of marriage education as it is currently practiced. Finally, this work employed more rigorous statistical techniques than had been done with previous meta-analyses. Sixty-nine marriage education evaluation reports were included in this meta analysis; fifteen additional articles were not code-able, but were analyzed conceptually. Articles were coded by design and results are reported according to study design. Quantitative results showed that across methodology, sample and program type, marriage education has moderate positive effects on marital satisfaction/quality and communication. These effects remain at follow-up evaluations. Effects were strongest for couples married longer than five years and for communication-training programs. Subgroups of studies generally were too small to examine many moderator variables. In addition, study samples were predominately White, well-educated, middle-class couples. Although this meta analysis provides the strongest answer to date on the effectiveness of marriage education, increased exploration and evaluation of moderator variables are needed before we will know which types of interventions are most effective for which couples.

This study investigated marital adjustment for couples participating in one of two treatment groups; the Brief Integrative Couples Counseling model(Young & Long, 1998, 2007); and the PREPARE/ENRICH Empowering Couples marriage education weekend workshop (Olson & Olson,2000). This study examined the following research questions: Do couples show a different level of marital adjustment following Brief Integrative Couples Counseling compared to those who receive a marriage education treatment?; Do couples show greater marital adjustment following Brief Integrative Couples Counseling compared to those who participated in a Marriage Education weekend workshop treatment over time? This article presents an exploration of mean marital adjustment scores following participation in a Brief Integrative Couples Counseling treatment or a marriage education weekend workshop protocol. This study was a quasi-experimental design because participants were placed in pre-existing groups by self-selection. Following statistical analyses using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), the data suggest there is no difference in the level of change in marital adjustment scores between the two treatment groups. In addition, follow up analysis of covariance (ANCOVA's) was conducted on marital adjustment, using demographics as covariates.

Although healthy relationship initiatives are becoming more common, relatively little is known about the processes and outcomes of these initiatives. This study uses a phenomenological qualitative approach to examine the experiences of Family and Consumer Science (FCS) extension agents in the implementation of couple and relationship education in the Utah Healthy Relationship Initiative. Data were collected through quarterly report forms submitted by extension agents describing successes and barriers to their work. Successes in the project related to collaborative partnerships, attendance/participation, and positive outcomes for participants. Collaborative partnerships were instrumental in reaching more participants and finding cultural resources. The challenges that agents reported included constraints for participants and agents' difficulties with resources. The findings underscore the benefits of creating flexible, low-intensity, and low-cost activities that attract participants and reduce some of the barriers to participation, as well as teaming up with community organizations to implement couple and relationship education programs.

Strengthening marriages is important to the well-being of individuals, families and communities. The transition to parenthood brings with it particular risks and opportunities for marriage relationships, yet no interventions have been successful in accessing a large number of couples during this critical time prepare and strengthen them for the challenges of becoming parents. The healthcare system has an established education infrastructure (childbirth education) that interacts with a significant number of couples during the transition to parenthood and has become increasingly open to incorporating relationship strengthening efforts into existing programs. The Marriage Moments program was designed to access couples through this system. This new approach to marriage education employs a program design unique in three ways: the context of childbirth education, a low-intensity content based on a model of marital virtues, and a simple, self-administered format of materials that gives the program great flexibility and transportability that can be implemented in a variety of existing systems. Initial formative program evaluation data show that the program is well received by participating couples. Marriage Moments is currently being pilot tested to evaluate its effectiveness in strengthening marriage through the transition, but it is expected the program will be disseminated widely and reach numerous couples as they transition to parenthood.