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Ample research attests to the effectiveness of in-person relationship education, including education delivered to women who are pregnant or have just had a child. Relationship education delivered virtually may also be effective and hold advantages of accessibility and affordability. Few studies have compared outcomes for the same program delivered virtually and in-person, or prior to versus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study analyzed enrollment characteristics, satisfaction with the program, and pre-post changes in communication behaviors, relationship satisfaction, and psychological distress for women who participated in the evidence-based MotherWise program in-person and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic versus those who participated virtually after the pandemic began. The virtual and in-person programs enrolled demographically similar participants who received roughly the same amount of content. Perceptions of the program were positive across modalities and participants in both modalities demonstrated significantly reduced psychological distress from before to after the program. In-person participants reported finding the program more helpful than virtual participants on only one indicator, their ability to handle relationship conflict. Thus, while the current study does not establish equivalency across treatment modalities in efficacy, it does demonstrate the feasibility of transitioning relationship education for individuals from an in-person to a virtual setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We posit that evaluators of relationship education interventions can explore a policy relevant outcome by assessing relationship stability and conflict in a single index that is based on the literature on the effects of divorce and marital distress on children. We provide an empirical example from a randomized trial. Background: The U.S. Administration for Children and Families funds community‐based projects using relationship education with a foundational goal of fostering stable and healthy relationships. Assessing this outcome requires an approach different from separately analyzing stability and relationship quality. Method: We used data (N = 1,156 couples) from a randomized trial of Family Expectations to test the Stable Low‐Conflict Index, comparing couples assigned to the intervention to couples assigned to an untreated control group at a follow‐up 8 to 9 months postintervention. Results: Intervention couples were more likely to be in a stable, low‐conflict relationship at the follow up than control couples (b =.36, SE =.15, odds ratio = 1.44, p =.014). Conclusion: An index based on empirical precedence showed evidence of an intervention impact in a community‐based program. Implications: Evaluators of family policy linked interventions may advance the field by exploring outcomes that encapsulate aspects of both relationship stability and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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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 (d Cox  = 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., (© 2022 Family Process Institute.)