Does Web-Based Relationship Education Improve Sexual Intimacy? Initial Examination, Replication, and Exploration of Moderation in a Low-Income Sample.

Sexual intimacy, characterized as the experience between individuals of sharing general affection and sexual activity with one another within the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships inventory, is positively related to relationship satisfaction and stability. However, many studies of couple therapy have shown that it only results in small-sized (and often non-significant) improvements in sexual intimacy. Furthermore, there are numerous financial, logistical, and psychological barriers to couple therapy. Thus, the current study sought to examine whether two brief online relationship education programs (OurRelationship and ePREP) could overcome these barriers and yield similar-sized effects to more intensive couple therapy. In two independently collected samples of low-income couples (NSample 1 = 742 Couples; M AgeSample 1 = 33.19; NSample 2 = 671 Couples; M AgeSample 2 = 33.48), the current study found that: OurRelationship (d = 0.24-0.28) and ePREP (d = 0.26-0.34) produced small-sized changes in sexual intimacy relative to a waitlist control condition in both samples, the magnitude of the effect size replicated in a second sample and, with rare exception, these changes were generally not moderated by key variables of interest. Given that web-based relationship education is significantly shorter, less expensive, and more accessible than in-person couple interventions, web-based relationship education could be considered a viable candidate for couples experiencing concerns with sexual intimacy.

Trajectories of Perceived Gratitude and Change Following Relationship Interventions: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Lower-Income, Help-Seeking Couples.

The current study was designed to advance basic and applied research on perceived gratitude from one's partner in established couple relationships. From a three-arm randomized controlled trial involving 615 lower-income, help-seeking couples (N = 1,224 individuals), study analyses examined (a) the trajectory of perceived gratitude from one's partner among couples assigned to the wait-list condition (i.e., absent of any intervention), and (b) changes in perceived gratitude for individuals assigned to either the OurRelationship (OR) or ePREP relationship intervention condition. With respect to the first aim, levels of perceived gratitude among wait-listed couples demonstrated no significant mean increase over the 6-month period; this rate of change was significantly different from rates of change observed in other relationship constructs (e.g., satisfaction, communication, support) during the wait-list period. Being married, female, and having more children were all associated with lower initial levels of perceived gratitude. For the second aim, individuals assigned to either the OR or ePREP treatment condition demonstrated significant improvements in levels of perceived partner gratitude compared to wait-listed couples. The magnitude of program effect sizes for gratitude (d = 0.33), however, was 3%-48% smaller compared to the magnitude of program effects of other relationship constructs (0.34 < d < 0.64). Results indicated that perceived gratitude is a distinct component of couple relationships, generally lower in more established relationships, and can be improved by participating in OR or ePREP relationship interventions. Implications for research and practice related to gratitude in couple relationships are discussed.

A randomized controlled trial of the online OurRelationship program with varying levels of coach support.

Online programs that reduce relationship distress fill a critical need; however, their scalability is limited by their reliance on coach calls. To determine the effectiveness of the online OurRelationship program with varying levels of coach support, we conducted a comparative effectiveness trial with 740 low-income couples in the United States. Couples were randomly assigned to full-coach (ncouples = 226; program as originally designed), automated-coach (ncouples = 145; as a stand-alone program with tailored automated emails only), contingent-coach (ncouples = 145; as an adaptive program where tailored automated emails are followed by more coaching if couples did not meet progress milestones), or a waitlist control condition (ncouples = 224). All analyses were conducted within a Bayesian framework. Completion rates were comparable across conditions (full-coach: 65 %, automated-coach: 59 %, contingent-coach: 54 %). All intervention couples reported reliable pre-post gains in relationship satisfaction compared to waitlist control couples (dfull = 0.46, dcontingent = 0.47, and dautomated = 0.40) with no reliable differences across intervention conditions. Over four-month follow-up, couples in full- and contingent-coach conditions maintained gains in relationship satisfaction and couples in the automated-coach condition continued to improve. Given the comparable completion rates and minimal differences in effect sizes across intervention conditions, all three coaching models appear viable; therefore, the choice of model can vary depending on available resources as well as couple or stakeholder preferences. This study was preregistered (ClinicalTrials.govNCT03568565).

Effects of online relationship programs for low-income couples during the perinatal period.

Low-income couples experience increased stress and declines in relationship quality during the perinatal period. They also encounter many barriers to accessing relationship services. Using a subsample of low-income perinatal couples (n = 180) from two randomized controlled trials, the current study examined the impact of online relationship interventions, OurRelationship (OR) and ePREP, in a Bayesian framework. From pre to post, relative to waitlist control couples, couples in OR and ePREP experienced improvements in relationship quality (Mean d = 0.51) and psychological distress (Mean d = 0.28); OR couples, relative to waitlist control couples, also experienced improvements in perceived stress (Mean d = 0.33). These improvements were maintained through four-month follow-up and did not differ across gender. These findings suggest brief online relationship interventions may be an important resource for low-income perinatal couples.

Web-Based Relationship Education and Pornography-Related Behaviors: A Single-Group Design During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Research surrounding pornography and its impact on individual and relationship functioning is a frequent and ongoing debate in the current literature. However, recent meta-analyses and aggregated studies suggest that relationship distress is associated with higher levels of general pornography use. This may be a reason why a significant number of men and women view pornography and seek help for their use. In the present study, we explored whether participation in the OurRelationship program, a web-based relationship education program that has been empirically shown to reduce relationship distress but is not tailored to reduce general pornography use, was associated with reliable changes in pornography-related behaviors. In a sample of low-income and diverse couples (N = 314 couples; 628 individuals), we observed high completion rates (64.3%) as well as reliable, small-sized decreases in the frequency and duration of pornography use for the average couple (d = 0.12-0.13). Furthermore, post hoc analyses found that individuals who began the program viewing pornography daily reported reliability-larger decreases in pornography-related behaviors (d = 0.32-0.90) than those who viewed pornography less frequently. However, we did not see reliable changes in couples' arguments about pornography use or perceptions of problematic use. The findings were generally not moderated by gender or lifestyle changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinicians struggling to reduce their client's general pornography use may consider including a focus on improving general romantic relationship functioning.