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effectiveness_of_marriage_education_programs [2016/03/11 16:53] marri [3.Opposition to Marriage Education Programs] |
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+ | ==========Effectiveness of Marriage Education Programs========== | ||
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+ | Marriage Education Programs [[types_of_premarital_education_programs|teach relationship skills]] to unmarried couples with the goal of helping couples develop strong, healthy marriages. The programs also provide [[effectiveness_of_marital-skills_training|marriage-skills training]] to low-income married couples to help those couples improve their relationships and avoid marital breakup. | ||
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+ | =====1. Studies on Marriage Education Programs===== | ||
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+ | Critics of Marriage Education Programs claim that no evidence shows that the marriage education and enrichment programs envisioned in this initiative would work. | ||
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+ | This charge is simply false. The evidence is overwhelming that programs providing marriage-skills training help couples increase happiness, improve their relationships, | ||
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+ | * Social science research provides ample evidence that marriage education, training, and counseling programs--some of which have been around for more than 40 years--significantly strengthened the marriages of couples that have taken advantage of such programs. These studies--integrating findings from well over 100 separate evaluations--show that a wide variety of marriage-strengthening programs can reduce strife, improve communication, | ||
+ | * One analysis (called by scientists a meta-analysis) that integrated 85 studies involving nearly 4,000 couples enrolled in more than 20 different marriage-enrichment programs found that the average couple, after participating in a program, was better off than more than two-thirds of couples that did not participate.((Paul Giblin et al., " | ||
+ | * One meta-analysis examining over 23 separate studies revealed that the average program participant was significantly better off than 79% of nonparticipants. They documented that program participants experienced gains in the areas of interpersonal skills and overall relationship quality.((Jason S. Carroll, and William J. Doherty, " | ||
+ | * Another meta-analysis of 16 studies of one of the oldest marriage-enhancement programs, [[effectiveness_of_marital-skills_training|Couple Communication]], | ||
+ | * An analysis of the [[effectiveness_of_marital-skills_training|Relationship Enhancement]] program shows that it significantly improves marital relationships. As a result of the program, participating couples did better than 83 percent of couples that did not participate. | ||
+ | * A study conducted in 2002 documents the effectiveness of premarital inventory questionnaires and counseling in preventing marital distress. This approach yielded a 52 percent increase in the number of couples classified as "most satisfied" | ||
+ | * A 1993 meta-analysis of marriage and family counseling found that, among 71 studies that compared counseling to no-counseling, | ||
+ | * An extensive review of the literature on the effectiveness of marital counseling in preventing separation and divorce found dozens of studies demonstrating that counseling was effective in reducing conflict and increasing marital satisfaction.((James H. Bray and Ernest N. Jouriles, " | ||
+ | * The results of a 2007 study showed a MRE (marriage and relationship education) program led to couples reporting higher relationship satisfaction and commitment, and less conflict and chance for divorce.((Robyn Parker, "The Effectiveness Of Marriage And Relationship Education Programs," | ||
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+ | This scientific research demonstrates that marriage programs--whether they are called marital preparation, | ||
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+ | =====2. Studies on Marriage-Centered Programs===== | ||
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+ | Many other studies provide additional evidence that marriage-centered programs are effective. Whether they offer marital-skills training, counseling, or intervention for distressed marriages, such efforts have been found to increase the chances of marital success and happiness. | ||
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+ | For example, in a study of a two-session marriage intervention program called Marriage Checkup, the use of a marital assessment questionnaire and " | ||
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+ | The Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) evaluation, a yearlong marriage relationship education program for low-income couples with children, reported that participants experienced less physical and psychological abuse from their spouse after program completion.((J. Hsueh, D. Principe Alderson, E. Lundquist, C. Michalopoulos, | ||
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+ | Studies also document the effectiveness of more intensive forms of marital invention: counseling and therapy. An extensive review of the literature on the effectiveness of marital counseling in preventing marital separation and divorce found dozens of studies demonstrating that counseling was effective in reducing conflict and increasing marital satisfaction. This review combined two meta-analyses to find that 90 percent of distressed couples that took a full program of therapy were still together 18 to 24 months later, compared with 61 percent of those who took only a partial program.((James H. Bray and Ernest N. Jouriles, " | ||
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+ | * A 1993 pooling of 71 studies that compared counseling to no-counseling yielded an effect size of 0.51, meaning that the average couple who participated in marriage counseling was better off than 70 percent of couples who did not participate. In addition, it found that 41 percent of couples moved from the distressed to non-distressed category following counseling.((William R. Shadish et al., " | ||
+ | * A 1988 review showed that the outcomes of marriage counseling were comparable to other forms of psychotherapy. Couples that were counseled were 40 to 60 percent more likely to improve their marriage than couples foregoing counseling.((Kurt Hahlweg et al., " | ||
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+ | Finally, studies provide evidence that [[effectiveness_of_marital-skills_training|marriage-skills programs]] can dramatically improve behavior even for couples in very troubled circumstances. For example: | ||
+ | * A 1999 study found that, two years after a program for 75 alcoholics and their wives, reports of spousal (husband-to-wife) violence dropped from 48 percent to 16 percent.((Timothy J. O' | ||
+ | * Among 88 alcoholics and their wives participating in marriage-centered alcohol-treatment programs, both husbands and wives showed significant, | ||
+ | * A review of the Controlling Alcohol and Relationship Enhancement program (CARE), showed that participating couples experienced an improvement in relationship communication including more positive listening and less negative speaking.((Ruth Bouma, W. Kim Halford, and Ross McD Young, " | ||
+ | * Among 80 married or cohabiting substance-abusing patients assigned to 12 weekly sessions of marriage counseling or a no-treatment control group, those who received the marriage counseling had better relationship outcomes at 12 months, including increased satisfaction and reduced separation, than couples in which the husband participated in individual drug-treatment only. Husbands receiving marriage guidance also reported fewer days of drug use, longer periods of abstinence, fewer drug-related arrests, and fewer drug-related hospitalizations.((William Falst-Stewart et al., " | ||
+ | * In a 2001 study of married or cohabiting men with substance abuse problems, participants were randomly assigned to either individual counseling or marriage counseling. Those in the marriage-centered program reported significant decreases in drug use and increases in marital happiness, compared to men assigned to individual counseling.((William Falst-Stewart et al., " | ||
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+ | Perhaps the most solid evidence comes from a meta-analysis of 20 different marriage programs conducted by Paul Giblin, Douglas H. Sprenkle, and Robert Sheehan. The 20 diverse programs in this meta-analysis covered a wide range of various types of programs, including pre-marital, | ||
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+ | An effect size of 0.44 means that the average couple participating in any one of the programs studied improved their behavior and relationship so that they were better off than more than two-thirds of the couples that did not participate in any program. Specifically, | ||
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+ | =====3. Opposition to Marriage Education Programs===== | ||
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+ | While much of the opposition to marriage education programs is emotional and ideological, | ||
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+ | This entry draws heavily from [[http:// | ||