Association between help-seeking and motivation for completing a couple relationship education program across service modality.

ABSTRACT

Levels of motivation and help-seeking impact the effectiveness of couple relationship education (CRE), as those with greater help-seeking and motivation are more likely to attend more sessions and remain engaged. Less is known about what impacts the association between motivation and help-seeking between partners in a couple engaging in CRE. The current study aims to examine (a) the effect of couples' self-stigma for help-seeking on their own or partner's motivation to complete the relationship education program and (b) whether the effects differ between service modality (i.e., online and in-person). We sampled 276 heterosexual couples who participated in a relationship education program. A multiple-group actor-partner interdependence model analysis revealed that women and men with higher self-stigma for seeking help exhibited lower motivation to complete the program in both settings. Higher self-stigma in men for help-seeking significantly enhanced the motivation of their female partners to complete the online relationship education program.