Genetic and subjective sensitivity, relationship dynamics, and psychological distress in couples.

Positive and negative aspects of intimate relationships influence mental health and well-being in couples. According to the environmental sensitivity framework, individuals differ in how strongly they are affected by their environment, with some individuals being more or less sensitive to both negative and positive experiences. The present study examined the longitudinal associations between positive and negative relationship dynamics, including marital satisfaction, positive bonding, and negative communication, and psychological distress as well as the extent to which individual differences in genetic and subjective measures of environmental sensitivity moderated the association between relationship dynamics and psychological distress in a sample of couples in the U.S. Army (n = 238 individuals representing 152 unique couples). Sensitivity was measured by self-report and a polygenic score derived from previous genome-wide association study results. Separate three-level multilevel models were conducted for each relationship dynamic and sensitivity variable. Only for subjective (i.e., self-reported) sensitivity did significant cross-level interactions emerge in predicting psychological distress, whereas no such interactions were found for genetic (i.e., polygenic score) sensitivity. Specifically, lower marital satisfaction and positive bonding were associated with higher psychological distress among subjectively highly sensitive individuals, and higher negative communication was associated with higher psychological distress among subjectively highly sensitive individuals. Findings suggest that both low positive and high negative relationship dynamics may have a greater effect on psychological distress among highly sensitive individuals, which may help to inform tailored intervention to meet the unique needs of couples. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Racial discrimination and parenting perceptions among low-income Black couples.

Racism affects Black individuals in the United States through multiple institutional, social, and economic injustices. Relationship scientists have called for greater attention to the potentially harmful effects racism might exert on Black families. A small literature has begun to document negative associations between experiences of racism and romantic relationship functioning. However, even less empirical work has focused on a central relationship domain for many Black couples: parenting. The present study used cross-sectional data (N = 312 couples) from low-income Black couples who had recently had a child together. We examined associations between both partners' experiences of racial discrimination and their coparenting relationship quality and parenting stress. We next controlled for depression and relationship dedication as substantive covariates that could guide future research in this area. Actor-partner interdependence models revealed actor associations between discrimination and poorer parenting outcomes and a partner association specifically between one's partner's discrimination experience and own lower coparenting relationship quality. This partner effect was no longer significant, and actor effects were attenuated, when controlling for depression and relationship dedication, respectively. Our findings indicate that the negative effects of racial discrimination on Black couples' relationships are also apparent in the parenting domain, even above and beyond associations of individual depression and relationship dedication. These findings underscore the urgent need for more basic science to better understand the harms of racism for Black families, identify mechanisms that drive those effects, and highlight ways that clinical services can begin to address these impacts even now. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Relationship functioning moderates the link between history of childhood maltreatment and depression during pregnancy.

Prenatal depression is a significant health issue associated with increased risk for poor mental and physical health outcomes among for both parents and their children. Having a history of childhood maltreatment is associated with increased risk for prenatal depression. Although research suggests that romantic relationship functioning likely plays a role in the links between childhood maltreatment and prenatal depression, it remains to be tested which aspects of relationship functioning modulate these associations. Using an actor-partner interdependence model framework (Kenny et al., 2006), the present study examined how specific aspects of romantic relationship functioning-relationship commitment, perceived partner support, constructive communication, and destructive conflict-moderated the links between mothers' and fathers' childhood maltreatment and depression during pregnancy. Participants included a subset of 1,135 low-income heterosexual couples (2,270 individuals) who enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of a relationship education program during pregnancy. Baseline, pretreatment data were used. Results indicated significant actor and partner effects of childhood maltreatment on prenatal depression. Further, these effects were moderated by specific indices of relationship functioning, such that the effect of one's own maltreatment on their prenatal depression was mitigated by high emotional support from partner and high constructive communication and was exacerbated by destructive conflict. Findings demonstrate that high relationship functioning can act as a protective factor, and low relationship functioning as a risk factor, in the link between one's own childhood maltreatment and their prenatal depression among both mothers and fathers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Impact of Prenatal Group Healthy Relationship Education on Postpartum Contraception.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the impact of an antenatal group healthy relationship education program on the postpartum use of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). Materials and Methods: This is a planned subgroup analysis of a larger randomized controlled trial. Pregnant and newly parenting women were randomized to either group healthy relationship education, "MotherWise," or no additional services. An evidence-based healthy relationship education program and individual case management sessions were provided. The program did not include any prenatal care or contraception counseling. This subgroup analysis included those participants with a nonanomalous gestation randomized at <40 weeks who received care and delivered at a single safety-net hospital and were discharged home with a live infant(s). Results: From September 2, 2016 to December 21, 2018, 953 women were randomized in the larger trial; 507 met inclusion criteria for this study; 278 randomized to program and 229 controls. Participants were mostly young, parous, Hispanic, publicly insured women. Participants randomized to program were more likely to take a prescription medicine and be delivered through cesarean; there were not any other significant differences in baseline, antenatal, or perinatal outcomes. Those randomized to program were more likely to be discharged home with immediate postpartum LARC in place (odds ratio [OR] 1.87; confidence interval [CI] 1.17-3.00), and more likely to be using LARC at the postpartum visit (OR 2.19; CI 1.34-3.56). Conclusion: Antenatal group healthy relationship education provided separately from prenatal care is associated with a twofold increase in the use of postpartum LARC. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02792309; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02792309?term=NCT02792309&draw=2&rank=1.

Does income moderate basic relationship processes?

Objective: This study explores whether household income moderates the predictive association from adaptive processes (positive and negative interactions and commitment), enduring vulnerabilities (psychological distress), and stressors (financial strain) to future relationship satisfaction? Background: Theory and research have long conceptualized socioeconomic status as a predictor of couple relations, but recent work questions whether socioeconomic status may moderate basic couple relationship processes. Method: This study used data from a U.S. national sample of 927 adults aged 18-34 years in a cohabiting (marital or nonmarital) different-sex partnership (66% female; 22% non-White; 47% earned a high school diploma or GED as their highest education credential) surveyed five times at 4-to 6-month intervals. A series of latent curve models with structured residuals were used to examine between- and within-person associations. Results: Robust between-persons associations emerged consistent with prior literature (e.g., those with more positive and less negative interactions, higher commitment, lower psychological distress, and less financial strain reported higher relationship satisfaction). One robust longitudinal association emerged at the within-person level: higher than typical negative interactions predicted intraindividual decreases in future relationship satisfaction. Within-person associations were more evident in the cross-section: at times when positive interactions and commitment were higher than one's own average and negative interactions and psychological distress were lower than average, relationship satisfaction was also higher than average. Income did not moderate any links with future relationship satisfaction. Conclusion: Results suggest that basic longitudinal processes in relationships operate consistently across income level.

Impact evaluation of the family expectations program and moderation by sociodemographic disadvantage.

The federal government, through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), has funded community-based relationship education programs for couples, individuals, and families, with a strong focus on serving economically disadvantaged and racially diverse families. This study evaluated the impact of a 36-hour, workshop-based couple relationship education program that was funded by ACF using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design and intent-to-treat (ITT) analyses. Participants were 1320 couples who were either expecting a baby or had a baby within the past 3 months, at the time of enrollment. Follow-up surveys were administered 12 months later. Analyses evaluated program impacts on relationship stability, constructive communication, and destructive conflict compared to a no-treatment control group. Analyses showed a statistically significant impact of the program on destructive conflict (d = 0.10) but not on constructive communication (d = 0.06) or stability (dCox  = 0.10). Based on findings from previous evaluations, we also examined whether participants' levels of sociodemographic disadvantage moderated these effects. There was significant moderation by sociodemographic disadvantage on constructive communication and destructive conflict, but not on stability. Effects were observed for those at higher levels of sociodemographic disadvantage.

A Latent Class Analysis of Predictors for Engaging in Sex: A Study with Ethnically Diverse High School Students.

Sexual activity occurs among a large portion of young adults and adolescents, including high school students. While about 40% of high school students nationwide have engaged in sexual intercourse, more information is needed about how individual characteristics may relate to larger patterns of adolescent sexual behavior. This exploratory study utilized a latent class analysis (LCA) to identify clusters of high school students (N = 801) based on demographic characteristics, sexual refusal skills, healthy relationship skills, sociosexuality, internalizing symptoms, alcohol use, various forms of social support (i.e., parents, friends, teachers), and sexual activity at baseline to predict their sexual behavior at a 6-month follow-up. Four unique latent classes were identified based on these baseline predictors. Distinctions in the profiles of high schoolers varied significantly by internalizing symptoms, race/ethnicity, sexually conservative attitudes, and social support in the prediction of adolescent sexual activity at 6-months. This study contributes to the investigation of demographic, social, psychological, attitudinal, and behavioral factors that may distinguish high school students from one another in terms of their longitudinal rates of sexual activity.

Overlap of relationship distress and intimate partner violence in community samples.

Mixed-gender couples presenting for couple therapy are at 2-3 times higher risk for physical intimate partner violence (IPV) than community couples. However, it is unclear if this elevation of relative risk is the same in the general population because relationship distress and treatment-seeking are often confounded. We used archival data from three representative U.S. civilian samples and one representative U.S. Air Force sample to test the hypothesis that clinically significant relationship distress is associated with increased risk of various forms of IPV. In these community samples, those in mixed-gender distressed relationships were at 2-3 times higher risk than those in nondistressed relationships for any physical IPV during the past year and at 3-6 times higher risk for clinically significant psychological and physical IPV during the past year. Given that the increase in IPV risk is similar for individuals in distressed community relationships and therapy-seeking relationships, the prior findings of the elevated rates of IPV in clinical samples are unlikely to be due to therapy-seeking. Although epidemiological risk involves statistical, not causal, associations, the increased co-occurrence of IPV in distressed mixed-gender couples fits with numerous theories of IPV and has implications for both screening and future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Changes in couple, parenting, and individual functioning following Family Expectations program participation.

The current study investigated changes in couple, parenting, and individual functioning following participation in Family Expectations, a relationship and parenting education program for new or expectant parents. The sample comprised 339 couples who participated in most sessions of the Family Expectations program and completed assessments at three different time points over a 12-month period. Study analyses examined: (a) change shortly following completion of the program, (b) associations between short-term change and subsequent change in outcomes at 12-month follow-up, and (c) differences in short-term change between married and unmarried couples. Significant improvements were observed in all three domains at short-term follow-up. Short-term changes, particularly for psychological distress, were predictive of long-term change in multiple domains. Few moderation effects by marital status were evident; those that appeared suggested stronger effects for married participants compared to unmarried. Study findings inform ongoing discussions into the utility of federally-funded relationship and parenting programming.

Longitudinal Associations Among Adolescents' Sexual Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors.

Youth sex and relationship education programs aim to improve adolescent well-being by changing their knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes regarding sex and their health. However, there is a gap in existing research linking these cognitive targets to relevant behaviors, and a particular dearth of data on links with sexual behaviors. The current study tested longitudinal links between cognitive factors related to sex (attitudes about sex, normative beliefs, risk-avoidant intentions, and confidence in refusal skills) and outcomes of sexual behaviors (recent sexual encounters, number of sexual partners, and frequency of condom use). Data were drawn from three waves of data from a panel study of US high-school students and were analyzed using cross-lagged structural equation modeling. We hypothesized direct, reciprocal links between intentions and behaviors, but this hypothesis was not supported. Instead, more conservative attitudes about sex emerged as the most consistent prospective predictor of fewer sexual encounters and sexual partners, though with small effect sizes (ßs = - .08 to - .131, ps < .05). Further, bidirectional interrelationships were observed among several of the cognitive and behavioral variables over time. These results highlight attitudes about sex as a potentially useful intervention target, but also suggest that sex and relationship education curricula and evaluations should consider multiple pathways of links between cognition and behavior. Continued research is needed on causal links between adolescents' sexual attitudes, knowledge, intentions, and behavior.

Introduction to special section: Federally funded, community-based healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood program impact studies.

The focus of this special section is impact studies that were conducted as part of the Administration for Children and Families' Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood initiative. This initiative has led to more than 2 million people receiving relationship education and fatherhood programs across the United States over the last two decades. Community organizations develop these programs, select their curricula and content, and run these programs in their local communities. Many programs funded in the 2015-2020 cohort of grantees included randomized controlled trials of program effectiveness; some of these studies are presented in this issue, with the goal of marrying the field of program evaluation and family science.

Associations of Adolescents' Pornography Viewing with their Romantic Relationship Skills and Behaviors.

Research into adolescent pornography use has identified numerous individual-level behavioral and attitudinal correlates. However, associations between adolescents' pornography viewing and their romantic relationships remain understudied. Furthermore, very little is known about adolescents' watching pornography with their romantic partners (i.e., joint pornography use). The present study of adolescents (n = 755, 59.9% girls, M age = 15.72 years old [SD = 1.34]) is among the first attempts to link adolescents' pornography viewing behaviors to their romantic relationship attitudes and behaviors. We hypothesized that adolescents' viewing would be associated with poorer self-reported relationship skills, more negative relationship behaviors, and increased involvement in sexual activity, such as sexting. Partial support for these hypotheses was found. Frequency of overall viewing was associated with lower relationship and refusal skills. Lifetime joint pornography viewing was associated with higher rates of dating violence victimization and perpetration in the past six months and with more abusive behaviors from one's partner and more verbal conflict in the current dating relationship. Results, though cross-sectional, suggest that pornography viewing in adolescence is associated with poorer romantic outcomes. Implications for adolescent development and for healthcare providers and educators are discussed.

Relationship education for women during pregnancy: The impact of MotherWise on birth outcomes.

The field of relationship science has called for more research on the impact of relationship education on child outcomes, yet studies in this area remain sparse, particularly regarding maternal and infant health at birth. Research on group prenatal care demonstrates that individual-oriented group interventions have a positive impact on infant birth outcomes, suggesting the need to consider the impacts of other forms of group programming for women. The current study examined the impact of MotherWise, an individual-oriented relationship education and brief case management/coaching program for minority and low-income pregnant women, on birth outcomes. The study sample included 136 women who enrolled in a larger randomized controlled trial of MotherWise during early pregnancy. Although statistical power was limited due to the sample size and the effects were not outright significant at p < 0.05, results indicated that the effects of MotherWise on birth outcomes were small to moderate in size (0.23 for birthweight, 0.46 for preterm birth) and suggest important avenues for future tests of relationship education programs and their impacts on maternal and infant health. The current study suggests that relationship education during pregnancy could directly impact women's and infant's health.

Genetic sensitivity predicts long-term psychological benefits of a relationship education program for married couples.

OBJECTIVE: Relationship education programs have proven effective in promoting relationship quality and preventing divorce among married couples. However, according to theories of Environmental Sensitivity, people differ for genetic reasons in their sensitivity to environmental influences with some more affected by both negative and positive experiences, including psychological interventions. METHOD: Here we test in two studies whether the positive effects of the established Prevention and Relationship Education Program (PREP) are moderated by two different polygenic scores (PGS) for environmental sensitivity, one based on nine established candidate genes and one based on several thousand variants across the genome, derived from recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) results. Analyses were conducted in a randomized controlled study on PREP (N = 242) and then repeated in an independent replication trial (N = 183). RESULTS: Several significant PREP-X-PGS interactions indicated moderation of long-term treatment effects across the two studies, most of them involving the genome-wide score. Generally, higher genome-wide genetic sensitivity was associated with stronger intervention effects on almost all measures of relationship quality across the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide further evidence that people differ substantially in their response to the positive effects of psychological intervention as a function of individual differences in genetic sensitivity, with more sensitive participants potentially benefitting more from relationship education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Moderated mediation in relationship education: Communication, commitment, and sociodemographic disadvantage.

This study tested moderated mediation-that is, whether the mechanisms of program impacts are different for different groups of people-in the Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) study of relationship education (RE) programs for low-income married couples. Large-scale evaluations of RE programs have yielded small effects in community settings. Understanding program mechanisms specific to disadvantaged populations may help improve program impacts. This study explored whether communication and commitment mediated program effects on relationship outcomes in the SHM study for participants with relatively higher or lower levels of sociodemographic disadvantage. The present study included all 6,298 couples who enrolled in the SHM study. Data on self-reported communication skills, commitment, happiness, warmth/support, conflict, and psychological abuse were used from wives' and husbands' 12-month follow-up assessments, and a risk index was constructed from nine baseline indicators of social, economic, and demographic disadvantage. Analyses used structural equation modeling to test (a) mediation by communication and commitment, and (b) moderation of the mediation paths by level of disadvantage. The programs improved all relationship outcomes measured. Communication mediated program impacts only for couples with moderate or low disadvantage. Commitment mediated program impacts for participants reporting lowest disadvantage only, with more evidence of mediation for wives than husbands. Further research is needed to determine mechanisms of RE among highly disadvantaged populations to improve services for those at highest risk of relationship distress and dissolution. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Parent-Child Relationship Quality in the Family of Origin and Later Romantic Relationship Functioning: A Systematic Review.

A large and diverse literature has shown that parent-child relationship quality shapes development to affect later romantic relationship functioning. Guided by the developmental psychopathology framework, the current systematic review aimed to characterize the links between two major subtypes of parent-child relationship quality (parent-child attachment security and interaction quality) and several romantic relationship outcomes (i.e., adjustment, attachment security, aggression, and observed interaction quality), as well as to identify mechanisms accounting for these associations. We focused on studies that included both members of a couple/partnership for dyadic assessment of romantic relationship functioning, to more accurately and fully capture both partners' perspectives. A total of 40 articles met inclusion criteria, most of which sampled early/emerging adult couples between the ages of 18 and 26 years. Findings suggest that parent-child attachment security and interaction quality have similar associations with dyadic romantic relationship functioning, with the strongest evidence of effects on romantic relationship adjustment and observed interactions between romantic partners. Many studies found gender differences in effects, as well as cascading effects across development and over the course of a relationship. We argue that it is important for future studies to explore effects of one partner's parent-child relationship quality history on the other partner's romantic relationship adjustment and behavior, and to evaluate the extent to which parent-child attachment security mediates associations between parent-child interaction quality and romantic relationship functioning.

Se ha demostrado en publicaciones completas y variadas que la calidad de la relación entre padres e hijos determina el desarrollo de una manera que influye en el funcionamiento posterior de las relaciones amorosas. Guiado por el marco de la psicopatología evolutiva, el presente análisis sistemático tuvo como finalidad caracterizar los vínculos entre dos grandes subtipos de calidad de la relación entre padres e hijos (seguridad en el apego entre padres e hijos y calidad de la interacción) y varias consecuencias en las relaciones amorosas (p. ej.: adaptación, seguridad en el apego, agresión y calidad de la interacción observada), así como identificar los mecanismos que dan cuenta de estas asociaciones. Nos centramos en estudios que incluyeron tanto a integrantes de una pareja/asociación para la evaluación diádica del funcionamiento de las relaciones amorosas con el fin de captar más precisa y completamente las perspectivas de ambos integrantes de la pareja. Cuarenta artículos en total cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión, la mayoría de los cuales usaron como muestras a parejas de adultos emergentes de entre 18 y 26 años. Los resultados indican que la seguridad en el apego entre padres e hijos y la calidad de la interacción tienen asociaciones similares con el funcionamiento diádico de las relaciones amorosas, y que los indicios más claros de los efectos están en la adaptación de las relaciones amorosas y las interacciones observadas entre los integrantes de la relación amorosa. En muchos estudios se hallaron diferencias de género en los efectos, así como efectos dominó a lo largo del desarrollo y durante el transcurso de una relación. Sostenemos que es importante para estudios futuros analizar los efectos del historial de la calidad de la relación entre padres e hijos de uno de los integrantes de la pareja en la adaptación a la relación amorosa y la conducta del otro integrante de la pareja, y evaluar hasta qué punto la seguridad en el apego entre padres e hijos actúa como mediadora de las asociaciones entre la calidad de la interacción entre padres e hijos y el funcionamiento de la relación amorosa.

Online relationship education for help-seeking low-income couples: A Bayesian replication and extension of the OurRelationship and ePREP programs.

Low-income couples are at increased risk for relationship instability and divorce. In response, online relationship education programs such as ePREP and OurRelationship have been developed to more easily reach this population. A previous trial indicated that these programs promote relationship functioning (Doss et al., 2020) and individual well-being (Roddy et al., 2020a). However, given that these effects were notably larger than previous studies of in-person relationship education and approached effect sizes observed in couple therapy, it is possible that the magnitude of these effects was somewhat spurious; therefore, these findings need replication. The current manuscript seeks to replicate these programs' previous effects on relationship functioning and determine whether these effects are stable. Using a sample of 671 low-income couples seeking relationship help (N = 1337 individuals) and Bayesian estimation, the current study replicated previous findings that the OurRelationship and ePREP programs offered with four coaching calls produced reliable improvements in relationship functioning relative to a 6-month waitlist control group. There were no statistically reliable differences between the two active interventions. Bayesian analyses indicated that the effects of the two online programs were larger than the average effects of in-person relationship education for low-income couples reported in previous studies, roughly equivalent to efficacy studies of in-person relationship education reported in previous studies, smaller than those that resulted from the OurRelationship program delivered to distressed couples without an income requirement and smaller than couple therapy.

Las parejas de bajos recursos tienen mayor riesgo de inestabilidad en las relaciones y de divorcio. En respuesta a esto, se han desarrollado programas de educación sobre las relaciones, como ePREP y OurRelationship, con el fin de llegar más fácilmente a esta población. Un ensayo previo indicó que estos programas promueven el funcionamiento de las relaciones (Doss et al., 2020) y el bienestar individual (Roddy et al., 2020a). Sin embargo, teniendo en cuenta que estos efectos fueron notablemente mayores que los de estudios previos de la educación presencial sobre las relaciones y que abordaron tamaños del efecto observados en la terapia de pareja, es posible que la magnitud de estos efectos fuera de alguna manera falsa, por lo tanto, estos resultados necesitan repetirse. En el presente manuscrito se busca reproducir los efectos previos de estos programas en el funcionamiento de la relación y determinar si estos efectos son estables. Utilizando una muestra de 671 parejas de bajos recursos que buscaban ayuda para las relaciones (N = 1337 personas) y el cálculo bayesiano, el presente estudio reprodujo los resultados anteriores que ofrecieron los programas OurRelationship y ePREP con cuatro llamados de capacitación, generando mejoras fiables en el funcionamiento de la relación respecto de un grupo de referencia en lista de espera de seis meses. No hubo diferencias estadísticamente fiables entre las dos intervenciones activas. Los análisis bayesianos indicaron que los efectos de los dos programas virtuales fueron mayores que los efectos promedio de la educación presencial sobre las relaciones para parejas de bajos recursos informados en estudios previos, aproximadamente equivalentes a los de los estudios de eficacia de la educación presencial sobre las relaciones informados en estudios previos, menores que los obtenidos del programa OurRelationship impartido a parejas con distrés sin requisitos de ingresos, y menores que los de la terapia de pareja.

Happy, healthy, and wedded? How the transition to marriage affects mental and physical health.

Decades of research have documented the apparent health benefits of marriage, but the dynamics of how health may change across the transition to marriage are not fully understood. In two studies, we compared being unmarried or married on several indices of mental and physical health. In Study 1, we used a national sample of 1,078 individuals in different-sex relationships who completed surveys by mail. Compared with those who were cohabiting or dating, married individuals generally reported better mental and physical health than those in less committed relationships, and most differences remained when controlling for putative selection factors. Study 2 used longitudinal data from the participants in the Study 1 sample who later married (N = 168) to study changes within individuals over the transition to marriage on the same indicators. Six waves of mailed surveys spanning 20 months were employed. Findings of Study 2 indicated that although some indicators of mental and physical health were improving up until the point of marriage, these indicators then stabilized or began to decline, with women experiencing these declines more than men. Findings are more consistent with selection effects (i.e., better-adjusted individuals are more likely to get married) than social causation effects (i.e., marriage causes improvements in mental and physical health) and suggest that if marriage does have a causal effect on well-being in the short term, it may actually manifest in the lead-up to the wedding. Implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Within-Couple Associations Between Communication and Relationship Satisfaction Over Time.

Relationship science contends that the quality of couples' communication predicts relationship satisfaction over time. Most studies testing these links have examined between-person associations, yet couple dynamics are also theorized at the within-person level: For a given couple, worsened communication is presumed to predict deteriorations in future relationship satisfaction. We examined within-couple associations between satisfaction and communication in three longitudinal studies. Across studies, there were some lagged within-person links between deviations in negative communication to future changes in satisfaction (and vice versa). But the most robust finding was for concurrent within-person associations between negative communication and satisfaction: At times when couples experienced less negative communication than usual, they were also more satisfied with their relationship than was typical. Positive communication was rarely associated with relationship satisfaction at the within-person level. These findings indicate that within-person changes in negative communication primarily covary with, rather than predict, relationship satisfaction.

Helping couples achieve relationship success: A decade of progress in couple relationship education research and practice, 2010-2019.

This article systematically reviewed 34 rigorous evaluation studies of couple relationship education (CRE) programs from 2010 to 2019 that met the criteria for Level 1 well-established interventions. Significant advances include reaching more diverse and disadvantaged target populations with positive intervention effects on a wider range of outcomes beyond relationship quality, including physical and mental health, coparenting, and even child well-being, and evidence that high-risk couples often benefit the most. In addition, considerable progress has been made delivering effective online CRE, increasing services to individuals rather than to couples, and giving greater attention to youth and young adults to teach them principles and skills that may help them form healthy relationships. Ongoing challenges include expanding our understanding of program moderators and change mechanisms, attending to emerging everyday issues facing couples (e.g., healthy breaking ups, long-distance relationships) and gaining increased institutional support for CRE.