Scott Stanley - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Scott Stanley
This study compared romantic relationships in which there was a substantial difference (> 1 SD... more This study compared romantic relationships in which there was a substantial difference (> 1 SD) in the commitment levels of the two partners to those with more equal levels. These asymmetrically committed relationships (ACRs) were studied in a national, longitudinal sample of unmarried, opposite-sex romantic relationships (N = 315 couples); 64.8% (n = 204) of relationships were categorized as non-ACRs, 22.8% were ACRs in which the male partner was less committed than the female partner (n = 72), and 12.4% (n = 39) were ACRs in which the female partner was less committed than the male partner. Those who were cohabiting or who had children together were more likely to be in ACRs than those without these characteristics. Compared to those not in ACRs, the less committed partners in ACRs (referred to as “weak links”) reported lower relationship adjustment, more conflict, and more aggression in their relationships, however these differences were explained by their low levels of commit...
Impact and implementation findings from a cluster randomized trial of a youth relationship education curriculum
Family Process
Male Service Members' and Civilian Wives' Perceptions of Partner Connection Regarding Deployment and PTSD Symptoms
In general, a sense of understanding and connection is an important aspect of marital relationshi... more In general, a sense of understanding and connection is an important aspect of marital relationships. In the context of military couples in which a service member may have symptoms of PTSD, spouses' understanding of the nature and causes of service member PTSD symptoms may be protective for both partners' marital satisfaction. However, partners may vary in the degree to which they understand and connect around (1) historical experiences of combat and deployment, versus understanding and connecting around (2) any ongoing manifestation of PTSD symptoms post deployment. In a sample of 58 male Army service members and their civilian wives drawn from a larger study of military couple functioning, we found that a measure of "Combat/Deployment connection" and a measure of "PTSD connection" were strongly correlated with each other yet not isomorphic. Both Combat/Deployment connection and PTSD connection had unique predictive effects for marital satisfaction. Both ...
Combat/Deployment and PTSD Connection Measure
PsycTESTS Dataset
Helping Couples in the Shadow of COVID‐19
Family Process
The pandemic caused by the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus (coronavirus) and the associated illness, COVID‐19, h... more The pandemic caused by the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus (coronavirus) and the associated illness, COVID‐19, has caused a level of worldwide upheaval unlike any most people now living have seen in their lifetimes. This crisis affects people in their most important, committed, and intimate relationships. Although this crisis has damaged the health and well‐being of individuals, crushed economies, and led to an extensive period of uncertainty about the future, there may also be positive outcomes in the motivation people have to protect their relationships. In this paper, we focus on strategies that therapists and relationship educators can use to help couples preserve and protect their relationships during such a time. We describe four foundations of safety that allow relationships to thrive: physical, emotional, commitment, and community. We then highlight three keys from our body of work that can help guide individuals and couples in protecting their relationships on a day‐to‐day and moment‐to‐moment basis: (1) decide, don’t slide; (2) make it safe to connect; (3) do your part.
Family Relations
Relationship education is widely used to help people develop and sustain healthy romantic relatio... more Relationship education is widely used to help people develop and sustain healthy romantic relationships. We first provide a review on the current state of evidence and key issues in the field, laying a foundation for suggesting specific best practices in relationship education. We focus on services provided to couples but also address the burgeoning field of relationship education with individuals. Although there are many gaps in the knowledge informing best practices-such as mechanisms of effect and dose-decades of research and experience provide a strong basis for specific recommendations. The hallmark of an evidence-based, best-practice approach lies in making thoughtful decisions based on current knowledge, the goals of the effort, the population served, and available resources. Healthy romantic relationships and marriages are vital to the well-being of adults, families, and
Strengthening Marriages in a Skeptical Culture: Issues and Opportunities
Journal of Psychology and Theology
Questions are answered in relationship to Scott Stanley's work in marriage education and in r... more Questions are answered in relationship to Scott Stanley's work in marriage education and in relationship to a variety of sociocultural factors concerning the condition and treatment of marriage issues in contemporary society, including current trends for public sector efforts to strengthen marriages in the U.S. The PREP and Christian PREP approach to marital education is discussed. In addition, recommendations are made for marital interventions in general to local community and church leaders as well as marital therapists.
Treatment-as-Usual for Couples: Trajectories Before and After Beginning Couple Therapy
Family process, Jan 10, 2018
Couple therapy has been shown to be a meaningful way to improve couples' relationships. Howev... more Couple therapy has been shown to be a meaningful way to improve couples' relationships. However, less information is known about couples' functioning prior to entering treatment in community settings, as well as how their relationship functioning changes from initiating therapy onward. This study examined 87 couples who began community-based couple therapy during a longitudinal study of couples in the military. The couples were assessed six times over the course of 3 years, including time points before and after starting couple therapy. Using an interrupted-time series design, we examined trajectories across the start of couple therapy in relationship satisfaction, divorce proneness, and negative communication. The results demonstrated that couples' relationship satisfaction was declining and both divorce proneness and negative communication were increasing prior to entering couple therapy. After starting couple therapy, couples' functioning on all three variables le...
Unequally into "Us": Characteristics of Individuals in Asymmetrically Committed Relationships
Family process, Jan 7, 2018
This study examined characteristics of individuals that are associated with being in asymmetrical... more This study examined characteristics of individuals that are associated with being in asymmetrically committed relationships (ACRs), defined as romantic relationships in which there was a substantial difference in the commitment levels of the partners. These ACRs were studied in a national sample of unmarried, opposite-sex romantic relationships (N = 315 couples). Perceiving oneself as having more potential alternative partners was associated with increased odds of being the less committed partner in an ACR compared to not being in an ACR, as was being more attachment avoidant, having more prior relationship partners, and having a history of extradyadic sex during the present relationship. Additionally, having parents who never married was associated with being the less committed partner in an ACR but parental divorce was not. Although fewer characteristics were associated with being the more committed partner within an ACR, more attachment anxiety was associated with increased odds ...
Something to talk about: Topics of conversation between romantic partners during military deployments
Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43), 2018
Long-distance communication has been frequently identified as essential to military couples tryin... more Long-distance communication has been frequently identified as essential to military couples trying to maintain their relationship during a deployment. Little quantitative research, however, has assessed the types of topics discussed during such communication and how those topics relate to overall relationship satisfaction. The current study draws on a sample of 56 Army couples who provided data through online surveys while the service member was actively deployed. These couples provided information on current marital satisfaction, topics discussed during deployment (problem talk, friendship talk, love talk), and how they communicated via synchronous media (e.g., phone calls, video calls) and letters during deployment. Nonparametric Friedman tests followed by paired t tests revealed that synchronous communication was primarily utilized for friendship talk, whereas letters included friendship talk and love talk in similar amounts. Both synchronous communication and letters included le...
Between- and within-subject associations of PTSD symptom clusters and marital functioning in military couples
Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43), 2018
Using data from 570 male service members and their wives, the current study investigated over-tim... more Using data from 570 male service members and their wives, the current study investigated over-time associations between male service members' self-report of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and marital functioning (marital satisfaction, positive bonding, conflict behavior) as perceived by both spouses. Analyses spanned 5 time points over a 2-year period and fully disentangled between- and within-subject effects. Higher levels of all four PTSD symptom clusters (numbing, hyperarousal, effortful avoidance, and reexperiencing) showed significant between-subject associations with lower levels of marital satisfaction and positive bonding, and higher levels of conflict for both men and women, whereas there were markedly fewer significant within-subject associations. When running models with all four PTSD symptom clusters entered at once, the primary between-subject finding was that men with higher numbing symptoms overall reported poorer marital functioning in all domains;...
Associations of Army Fathers' PTSD Symptoms and Child Functioning: Within- and Between-Family Effects
Family process, Jan 25, 2018
This study examined the within-family and between-family associations between fathers' milita... more This study examined the within-family and between-family associations between fathers' military-related PTSD symptoms and parent ratings of children's behavioral and emotional problems. The sample included married couples (N = 419) with children composed of a civilian wife and an active-duty husband serving in the U.S. Army. Results indicate that changes in fathers' PTSD symptoms over time were associated with corresponding changes in both mothers' and fathers' reports of child behavioral and emotional problems. These within-family findings were independent from between-family effects, which showed that higher average PTSD symptomatology was associated with more overall behavioral and emotional problems for children. This study uses advances in statistical methodologies to increase knowledge about how PTSD symptoms and child problems are related, both across different families and over time within families.
Once a Cheater, Always a Cheater? Serial Infidelity Across Subsequent Relationships
Archives of Sexual Behavior
Although there is a large body of research addressing predictors of relationship infidelity, no s... more Although there is a large body of research addressing predictors of relationship infidelity, no study to our knowledge has specifically addressed infidelity in a previous relationship as a risk factor for infidelity in a subsequent relationship. The current study addressed risk for serial infidelity by following adult participants (N = 484) longitudinally through two mixed-gender romantic relationships. Participants reported their own extra-dyadic sexual involvement (ESI) (i.e., having sexual relations with someone other than their partner) as well as both known and suspected ESI on the part of their partners in each romantic relationship. Findings from logistic regressions showed that those who reported engaging in ESI in the first relationship were three times more likely to report engaging in ESI in their next relationship compared to those who did not report engaging in ESI in the first relationship. Similarly, compared to those who reported that their first-relationship partners did not engage in ESI, those who knew that their partners in the first relationships had engaged in ESI were twice as likely to report the same behavior from their next relationship partners. Those who suspected their first-relationship partners of ESI were four times more likely to report suspicion of partner ESI again in their next relationships. These findings controlled for demographic risk factors for infidelity and held regardless of respondent gender or marital status. Thus, prior infidelity emerged as an important risk factor for infidelity in next relationships. Implications for novel intervention targets for prevention of serial relationship infidelity are discussed.
Associations Between Participant Ratings of PREP for Strong Bonds and Marital Outcomes 1 Year Postintervention
Military Psychology, 2017
After completing a relationship education program, collecting participant evaluations of the prog... more 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 one 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 one 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 one 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 one 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.
Within- and Between-Family Associations of Marital Functioning and Child Well-being
Journal of Marriage and Family, 2016
This study clarifies within-family and between-family links between marital functioning and child... more This study clarifies within-family and between-family links between marital functioning and child wellbeing. Expanding on existing prospective research, this study tests whether changes in parents' marital functioning are associated with corresponding changes in their children's wellbeing, independent from associations that exist when comparing different families. Participants (N = 1033) were members of married, opposite-sex couples with children who participated in five waves of a larger study of marriage in the U.S. Army. Spouses' constructive communication, verbal conflict, and marital satisfaction each showed between-family associations with parent-reported child internalizing and externalizing problems. In contrast, within-family associations were significant only for parents' communication behaviors. That is, parents who reported lower levels of marital satisfaction also reported lower child wellbeing, whereas change in parents' communication was associated with change in child wellbeing over time. Isolating within-family effects is important for understanding marital and child functioning and for identifying potential targets for effective intervention.
Changes in the Sexual Relationship and Relationship Adjustment Precede Extradyadic Sexual Involvement
Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2016
Extradyadic sexual involvement (ESI) is associated with negative consequences for individuals and... more Extradyadic sexual involvement (ESI) is associated with negative consequences for individuals and threatens couple stability. Research on ESI in unmarried samples has been marked by methodological limitations, such as examining only mean levels of sexual satisfaction or frequency to predict later ESI as opposed to changes in various aspects of the sexual relationship over time. The current study compared linear trajectories of four aspects of the sexual relationship-sexual satisfaction, frequency of sex, comfort communicating about sex, and sexual closeness-between individuals in opposite-sex, unmarried relationships who subsequently engaged in ESI (ESI group; n = 183) compared to individuals who did not engage in ESI (non-ESI group; n = 603). Trajectories of relationship adjustment were also evaluated leading up to ESI as well as controlled for in models evaluating the sexual relationship. Results indicated that relationship adjustment declined for individuals preceding ESI, but did not change for the non-ESI group. When controlling for relationship adjustment, comfort communicating about sex decreased for ESI women but increased for ESI men. Some results became nonsignificant after controlling for relationship adjustment, including that sexual satisfaction declined more steeply in the ESI group compared to the non-ESI group, and ESI women significantly decreased in sexual closeness while ESI men demonstrated no significant change. Some mean level differences were also discovered directly before ESI. Conclusions include that changes in a couple's sexual relationship and relationship adjustment are associated with ESI behaviors, providing novel information regarding normative and risk trajectories.
Marriage Education and Government Policy: Helping Couples Who Choose Marriage Achieve Success
... 4 We are aware of this point having been publically made by numerous experts, including Theod... more ... 4 We are aware of this point having been publically made by numerous experts, including Theodora Ooms, Howard Markman, and Barbara ... he and Scott Stanley are co-principal investigators on from NIH (see above), Dr. Markman and colleague Dr. Martha Wadsworth, also ...
PREP: The next generation
The Development of Relationship Education for Low Income Individuals: Lessons from Research and Experience
Furthermore, cohabitation is increasingly a context for child-rearing (Bumpass & Lu, 2000), and c... more Furthermore, cohabitation is increasingly a context for child-rearing (Bumpass & Lu, 2000), and child outcomes are generally poorer in cohabiting unions or in marriages preceded by cohabitation (e.g., Brown, 2004a; Manning & Lichter, 1996; Rosenkrantz Aronson & Huston, 2004). Simply put, cohabitation has become a normative experience on the pathway to marriage (Manning & Smock, 2002), and, for some, an alternative to marriage altogether (Smock, 2000). Despite the fact that it has become a normative experience, cohabitation prior to marriage is associated with poorer communication quality, lower relationship satisfaction, higher levels of
This study compared romantic relationships in which there was a substantial difference (> 1 SD... more This study compared romantic relationships in which there was a substantial difference (> 1 SD) in the commitment levels of the two partners to those with more equal levels. These asymmetrically committed relationships (ACRs) were studied in a national, longitudinal sample of unmarried, opposite-sex romantic relationships (N = 315 couples); 64.8% (n = 204) of relationships were categorized as non-ACRs, 22.8% were ACRs in which the male partner was less committed than the female partner (n = 72), and 12.4% (n = 39) were ACRs in which the female partner was less committed than the male partner. Those who were cohabiting or who had children together were more likely to be in ACRs than those without these characteristics. Compared to those not in ACRs, the less committed partners in ACRs (referred to as “weak links”) reported lower relationship adjustment, more conflict, and more aggression in their relationships, however these differences were explained by their low levels of commit...
Impact and implementation findings from a cluster randomized trial of a youth relationship education curriculum
Family Process
Male Service Members' and Civilian Wives' Perceptions of Partner Connection Regarding Deployment and PTSD Symptoms
In general, a sense of understanding and connection is an important aspect of marital relationshi... more In general, a sense of understanding and connection is an important aspect of marital relationships. In the context of military couples in which a service member may have symptoms of PTSD, spouses' understanding of the nature and causes of service member PTSD symptoms may be protective for both partners' marital satisfaction. However, partners may vary in the degree to which they understand and connect around (1) historical experiences of combat and deployment, versus understanding and connecting around (2) any ongoing manifestation of PTSD symptoms post deployment. In a sample of 58 male Army service members and their civilian wives drawn from a larger study of military couple functioning, we found that a measure of "Combat/Deployment connection" and a measure of "PTSD connection" were strongly correlated with each other yet not isomorphic. Both Combat/Deployment connection and PTSD connection had unique predictive effects for marital satisfaction. Both ...
Combat/Deployment and PTSD Connection Measure
PsycTESTS Dataset
Helping Couples in the Shadow of COVID‐19
Family Process
The pandemic caused by the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus (coronavirus) and the associated illness, COVID‐19, h... more The pandemic caused by the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus (coronavirus) and the associated illness, COVID‐19, has caused a level of worldwide upheaval unlike any most people now living have seen in their lifetimes. This crisis affects people in their most important, committed, and intimate relationships. Although this crisis has damaged the health and well‐being of individuals, crushed economies, and led to an extensive period of uncertainty about the future, there may also be positive outcomes in the motivation people have to protect their relationships. In this paper, we focus on strategies that therapists and relationship educators can use to help couples preserve and protect their relationships during such a time. We describe four foundations of safety that allow relationships to thrive: physical, emotional, commitment, and community. We then highlight three keys from our body of work that can help guide individuals and couples in protecting their relationships on a day‐to‐day and moment‐to‐moment basis: (1) decide, don’t slide; (2) make it safe to connect; (3) do your part.
Family Relations
Relationship education is widely used to help people develop and sustain healthy romantic relatio... more Relationship education is widely used to help people develop and sustain healthy romantic relationships. We first provide a review on the current state of evidence and key issues in the field, laying a foundation for suggesting specific best practices in relationship education. We focus on services provided to couples but also address the burgeoning field of relationship education with individuals. Although there are many gaps in the knowledge informing best practices-such as mechanisms of effect and dose-decades of research and experience provide a strong basis for specific recommendations. The hallmark of an evidence-based, best-practice approach lies in making thoughtful decisions based on current knowledge, the goals of the effort, the population served, and available resources. Healthy romantic relationships and marriages are vital to the well-being of adults, families, and
Strengthening Marriages in a Skeptical Culture: Issues and Opportunities
Journal of Psychology and Theology
Questions are answered in relationship to Scott Stanley's work in marriage education and in r... more Questions are answered in relationship to Scott Stanley's work in marriage education and in relationship to a variety of sociocultural factors concerning the condition and treatment of marriage issues in contemporary society, including current trends for public sector efforts to strengthen marriages in the U.S. The PREP and Christian PREP approach to marital education is discussed. In addition, recommendations are made for marital interventions in general to local community and church leaders as well as marital therapists.
Treatment-as-Usual for Couples: Trajectories Before and After Beginning Couple Therapy
Family process, Jan 10, 2018
Couple therapy has been shown to be a meaningful way to improve couples' relationships. Howev... more Couple therapy has been shown to be a meaningful way to improve couples' relationships. However, less information is known about couples' functioning prior to entering treatment in community settings, as well as how their relationship functioning changes from initiating therapy onward. This study examined 87 couples who began community-based couple therapy during a longitudinal study of couples in the military. The couples were assessed six times over the course of 3 years, including time points before and after starting couple therapy. Using an interrupted-time series design, we examined trajectories across the start of couple therapy in relationship satisfaction, divorce proneness, and negative communication. The results demonstrated that couples' relationship satisfaction was declining and both divorce proneness and negative communication were increasing prior to entering couple therapy. After starting couple therapy, couples' functioning on all three variables le...
Unequally into "Us": Characteristics of Individuals in Asymmetrically Committed Relationships
Family process, Jan 7, 2018
This study examined characteristics of individuals that are associated with being in asymmetrical... more This study examined characteristics of individuals that are associated with being in asymmetrically committed relationships (ACRs), defined as romantic relationships in which there was a substantial difference in the commitment levels of the partners. These ACRs were studied in a national sample of unmarried, opposite-sex romantic relationships (N = 315 couples). Perceiving oneself as having more potential alternative partners was associated with increased odds of being the less committed partner in an ACR compared to not being in an ACR, as was being more attachment avoidant, having more prior relationship partners, and having a history of extradyadic sex during the present relationship. Additionally, having parents who never married was associated with being the less committed partner in an ACR but parental divorce was not. Although fewer characteristics were associated with being the more committed partner within an ACR, more attachment anxiety was associated with increased odds ...
Something to talk about: Topics of conversation between romantic partners during military deployments
Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43), 2018
Long-distance communication has been frequently identified as essential to military couples tryin... more Long-distance communication has been frequently identified as essential to military couples trying to maintain their relationship during a deployment. Little quantitative research, however, has assessed the types of topics discussed during such communication and how those topics relate to overall relationship satisfaction. The current study draws on a sample of 56 Army couples who provided data through online surveys while the service member was actively deployed. These couples provided information on current marital satisfaction, topics discussed during deployment (problem talk, friendship talk, love talk), and how they communicated via synchronous media (e.g., phone calls, video calls) and letters during deployment. Nonparametric Friedman tests followed by paired t tests revealed that synchronous communication was primarily utilized for friendship talk, whereas letters included friendship talk and love talk in similar amounts. Both synchronous communication and letters included le...
Between- and within-subject associations of PTSD symptom clusters and marital functioning in military couples
Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43), 2018
Using data from 570 male service members and their wives, the current study investigated over-tim... more Using data from 570 male service members and their wives, the current study investigated over-time associations between male service members' self-report of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and marital functioning (marital satisfaction, positive bonding, conflict behavior) as perceived by both spouses. Analyses spanned 5 time points over a 2-year period and fully disentangled between- and within-subject effects. Higher levels of all four PTSD symptom clusters (numbing, hyperarousal, effortful avoidance, and reexperiencing) showed significant between-subject associations with lower levels of marital satisfaction and positive bonding, and higher levels of conflict for both men and women, whereas there were markedly fewer significant within-subject associations. When running models with all four PTSD symptom clusters entered at once, the primary between-subject finding was that men with higher numbing symptoms overall reported poorer marital functioning in all domains;...
Associations of Army Fathers' PTSD Symptoms and Child Functioning: Within- and Between-Family Effects
Family process, Jan 25, 2018
This study examined the within-family and between-family associations between fathers' milita... more This study examined the within-family and between-family associations between fathers' military-related PTSD symptoms and parent ratings of children's behavioral and emotional problems. The sample included married couples (N = 419) with children composed of a civilian wife and an active-duty husband serving in the U.S. Army. Results indicate that changes in fathers' PTSD symptoms over time were associated with corresponding changes in both mothers' and fathers' reports of child behavioral and emotional problems. These within-family findings were independent from between-family effects, which showed that higher average PTSD symptomatology was associated with more overall behavioral and emotional problems for children. This study uses advances in statistical methodologies to increase knowledge about how PTSD symptoms and child problems are related, both across different families and over time within families.
Once a Cheater, Always a Cheater? Serial Infidelity Across Subsequent Relationships
Archives of Sexual Behavior
Although there is a large body of research addressing predictors of relationship infidelity, no s... more Although there is a large body of research addressing predictors of relationship infidelity, no study to our knowledge has specifically addressed infidelity in a previous relationship as a risk factor for infidelity in a subsequent relationship. The current study addressed risk for serial infidelity by following adult participants (N = 484) longitudinally through two mixed-gender romantic relationships. Participants reported their own extra-dyadic sexual involvement (ESI) (i.e., having sexual relations with someone other than their partner) as well as both known and suspected ESI on the part of their partners in each romantic relationship. Findings from logistic regressions showed that those who reported engaging in ESI in the first relationship were three times more likely to report engaging in ESI in their next relationship compared to those who did not report engaging in ESI in the first relationship. Similarly, compared to those who reported that their first-relationship partners did not engage in ESI, those who knew that their partners in the first relationships had engaged in ESI were twice as likely to report the same behavior from their next relationship partners. Those who suspected their first-relationship partners of ESI were four times more likely to report suspicion of partner ESI again in their next relationships. These findings controlled for demographic risk factors for infidelity and held regardless of respondent gender or marital status. Thus, prior infidelity emerged as an important risk factor for infidelity in next relationships. Implications for novel intervention targets for prevention of serial relationship infidelity are discussed.
Associations Between Participant Ratings of PREP for Strong Bonds and Marital Outcomes 1 Year Postintervention
Military Psychology, 2017
After completing a relationship education program, collecting participant evaluations of the prog... more 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 one 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 one 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 one 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 one 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.
Within- and Between-Family Associations of Marital Functioning and Child Well-being
Journal of Marriage and Family, 2016
This study clarifies within-family and between-family links between marital functioning and child... more This study clarifies within-family and between-family links between marital functioning and child wellbeing. Expanding on existing prospective research, this study tests whether changes in parents' marital functioning are associated with corresponding changes in their children's wellbeing, independent from associations that exist when comparing different families. Participants (N = 1033) were members of married, opposite-sex couples with children who participated in five waves of a larger study of marriage in the U.S. Army. Spouses' constructive communication, verbal conflict, and marital satisfaction each showed between-family associations with parent-reported child internalizing and externalizing problems. In contrast, within-family associations were significant only for parents' communication behaviors. That is, parents who reported lower levels of marital satisfaction also reported lower child wellbeing, whereas change in parents' communication was associated with change in child wellbeing over time. Isolating within-family effects is important for understanding marital and child functioning and for identifying potential targets for effective intervention.
Changes in the Sexual Relationship and Relationship Adjustment Precede Extradyadic Sexual Involvement
Archives of Sexual Behavior, 2016
Extradyadic sexual involvement (ESI) is associated with negative consequences for individuals and... more Extradyadic sexual involvement (ESI) is associated with negative consequences for individuals and threatens couple stability. Research on ESI in unmarried samples has been marked by methodological limitations, such as examining only mean levels of sexual satisfaction or frequency to predict later ESI as opposed to changes in various aspects of the sexual relationship over time. The current study compared linear trajectories of four aspects of the sexual relationship-sexual satisfaction, frequency of sex, comfort communicating about sex, and sexual closeness-between individuals in opposite-sex, unmarried relationships who subsequently engaged in ESI (ESI group; n = 183) compared to individuals who did not engage in ESI (non-ESI group; n = 603). Trajectories of relationship adjustment were also evaluated leading up to ESI as well as controlled for in models evaluating the sexual relationship. Results indicated that relationship adjustment declined for individuals preceding ESI, but did not change for the non-ESI group. When controlling for relationship adjustment, comfort communicating about sex decreased for ESI women but increased for ESI men. Some results became nonsignificant after controlling for relationship adjustment, including that sexual satisfaction declined more steeply in the ESI group compared to the non-ESI group, and ESI women significantly decreased in sexual closeness while ESI men demonstrated no significant change. Some mean level differences were also discovered directly before ESI. Conclusions include that changes in a couple's sexual relationship and relationship adjustment are associated with ESI behaviors, providing novel information regarding normative and risk trajectories.
Marriage Education and Government Policy: Helping Couples Who Choose Marriage Achieve Success
... 4 We are aware of this point having been publically made by numerous experts, including Theod... more ... 4 We are aware of this point having been publically made by numerous experts, including Theodora Ooms, Howard Markman, and Barbara ... he and Scott Stanley are co-principal investigators on from NIH (see above), Dr. Markman and colleague Dr. Martha Wadsworth, also ...
PREP: The next generation
The Development of Relationship Education for Low Income Individuals: Lessons from Research and Experience
Furthermore, cohabitation is increasingly a context for child-rearing (Bumpass & Lu, 2000), and c... more Furthermore, cohabitation is increasingly a context for child-rearing (Bumpass & Lu, 2000), and child outcomes are generally poorer in cohabiting unions or in marriages preceded by cohabitation (e.g., Brown, 2004a; Manning & Lichter, 1996; Rosenkrantz Aronson & Huston, 2004). Simply put, cohabitation has become a normative experience on the pathway to marriage (Manning & Smock, 2002), and, for some, an alternative to marriage altogether (Smock, 2000). Despite the fact that it has become a normative experience, cohabitation prior to marriage is associated with poorer communication quality, lower relationship satisfaction, higher levels of