Suchergebnisse

Co‐parenting plays a key role in children's outcomes when parents dissolve their intimate relationship. As a result, educators have developed divorce education programs to support healthy co‐parenting and parenting practices among parents going through the process of separation and divorce. Despite much progress, challenges remain concerning how to measure the impact of divorce education programs, limitations in research and evaluation study design, and development and delivery of programming tailored to unique contexts. In this article, we aim to provide scholars and practitioners an overview of common practices related to divorce education. Additionally, we examine promising areas for growth to encourage scholarship that can move beyond describing common practices toward recommending best practices that increase positive outcomes for families who experience divorce.

AbstractFamily scholars and practitioners rely on theories of relationships to guide our understanding and promotion of healthy intimate relationships; however, assumptions about the self are often implicit and unquestioned. This article describes a strongly relational view of the self that can transform family science by accounting for partners' ethical responsiveness and dialogical way of being (I–It vs. I–Thou), concepts long understood in philosophy but largely neglected in family science. We emphasize the importance of ethical responsiveness and way of being as fundamental to both understanding and improving intimate relationships and propose a framework and conceptual model to guide both research and practice. We integrate empirical evidence with the work of Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas to provide an understanding of factors that may lead to meaningful and flourishing relationships. We discuss implications for empirical research and practice to advance family science.

ObjectiveTo review brief couple interventions (BCIs), with a focus on contributions to theory, development, and implications for practice.BackgroundFor decades, scholars have observed the individual and societal costs of relationship instability. Due to these costs, state and federal agencies have invested millions of dollars in relationship and marriage education programs with the hope of promoting the positive effects associated with healthy relationships. However, the plausibility of many of these interventions has been challenged, suggesting a need for renewed focus on different approaches to promote relationship quality and stability throughout the life course.MethodWe searched numerous databases to review brief interventions used in multiple disciplines. This review resulted in 12 studies ranging from samples of young adults to established couples.ResultsWe found several interventions using distinct delivery methods and theoretical frameworks. These interventions targeted numerous individual and relational processes, such as self‐esteem, distress related to conflict, and gratitude that promoted healthy relationship functioning.ConclusionWe provide evidence that brief interventions influence individual and relational processes by targeting factors relevant to couples across the life course. We ultimately find support for the utility of the vulnerability–stress–adaptation model when developing interventions for couples.ImplicationsOn the basis of our review, we end with numerous practical suggestions for clinicians to adopt when developing programs to promote healthy relationships.

Although economic pressure and family stress models have been examined with samples of men and women in first marriages, previous models have neglected to focus on men and women in stepfamilies and to examine stress sources unique to stepfamilies. This study examines the effect of economic pressure on both common stressors and stepfamily-specific stressors and the subsequent effects on negativity, positivity, and marital quality. Results of structural equation modeling with a sample of 490 men and women in stepfamilies indicate that the proposed stepfamily stress model fit the data well for both men and women. For women, stepfamily-specific stressors have a direct inverse effect on positivity, negativity, and marital quality. For men, stepfamily-specific stressors were predictive of both positivity and marital quality. Findings from the study advance previous research on economic pressure, family stress, and marital quality.

The strong relationality model of relationship flourishing emphasizes the role of ethical responsiveness (how well a person intrinsically responds to the manifest or identifiable needs of others) as a direct predictor of relationship quality and as an indirect pathway for explaining the influence of vulnerabilities. This study is among the first explicit tests of the theorized role of ethical responsiveness. The sample consisted of 1432 adults in a romantic relationship, from the United States and Canada. Modeled as latent variables, ethical responsiveness served as a path between the variables of depression, anxiety, and friend and family support, and the dependent variable of relationship-focused relationship quality. Depression and friend support predicted ethical responsiveness. Ethical responsiveness, both supports, and depression predicted relationship quality. Friend support and depression had an indirect effect through ethical responsiveness. Our findings support the role of ethical responsiveness and suggest continued research into how and why it influences relationships.

AbstractGuided by the Cultural Competence Attainment Model, the purpose of this study is to examine how socio‐demographic and work characteristics are associated with variations in child welfare professionals' (CWPs) attitudes about father involvement and family instability and how these attitudes are linked with whether they view relationship and marriage education as relevant to their efforts to support families. Drawing from a sample of 624 CWPs and using latent profile analysis, the results revealed three latent classes of CWPs, with most professionals being labelled as either "moderately" or "highly" concerned about father involvement and family instability, with a smaller class of professionals labelled as having less concern about these family issues. Those labelled as highly concerned tended to be older, male, African American, married, and had worked longer in the child welfare field. As well, those labelled as highly concerned were more likely to agree that strengthening the couple and coparenting relationship would benefit children and were most amenable to receiving RME training. Implications for relationship and marriage education training for child welfare professionals and other practitioners are provided.

As we consider what both family scientists and practitioners can learn from each other, we discuss important advances in relationship and marriage education (RME). We note best practices for research and review recent evaluative findings from randomized controlled trial studies that have important implications for RME. An almost singular RME focus on teaching communication and conflict resolution skills may not be as valuable as it was believed to be. We discuss recent shifts in RME, share results from recent research, and advocate for a balanced approach that incorporates both skill‐based and principles‐based approaches. Important insights can be gained from disciplines outside of family and relationship science, and we encourage both family scientists and practitioners to broaden the scope of models of healthy relationship functioning. Finally, we offer some direction for future progress and issue a call for more integrative and rigorous efforts in both the science of discovery and practice.

Divorce education programs are mandatory in most states. Despite the ongoing debate in the field regarding the appropriate duration of these programs, the goal of the current study was to identify the following five content areas in divorce education that may be most relevant for predicting favorable outcomes: (1) impact of divorce on children, (2) impact of divorce on family relationships, (3) financial responsibilities of divorcing parents for children, (4) benefits of positive coparenting, and (5) impact of domestic violence on children and family relationships. Using divorcing parents' self‐reported data (N = 3,275) from a one‐hour online divorce education program in Utah, we examined participants' post‐divorce intentions to treat each other respectfully, especially in front of the child(ren), and engage in positive coparental practices. The results showed that the program was effective in obtaining these objectives. We discuss these findings in depth and offer suggestions for future programs.

ObjectiveFollowing a training in relationship and marriage education (RME), examine whether applying information at 2 months is associated with application at 6 months and how participants' confidence, utility, and self‐efficacy is associated with learning transfer and application at 2 months posttraining.BackgroundChild welfare professionals are required to receive numerous trainings each year with the expectation of understanding, retaining, and transferring this learning into practice.MethodWith a sample of 324 child welfare professionals across 5 states who completed a 1‐day training in RME, we used structural equation modeling with participant self‐efficacy, utility, and confidence as predictors of application of RME concepts at 2 months posttraining. We also assessed how application of RME concepts at 2 months predicted self‐efficacy, confidence, and application at 6 months.ResultsOnly the combined effect of both higher self‐efficacy and higher utility was related to applying concepts at 2 months. Those who apply the concepts at 2 months are more likely both to report higher confidence at 6 months and to apply the concepts at 6 months.ConclusionsEvaluations of trainings should move beyond measurement of immediate learning outcomes to better understanding how to motivate immediate learning transfer.ImplicationsIf participants do not feel like they have actually learned new skills and, more importantly, do not implement the skills with individuals or clients soon after a training, they will be much less likely to use them in the future. A combination of learning concrete principles and skills with confidence they can implement the materials may result in future implementation.

AbstractObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to learn more about the daily activities of 10 parenting educators, hired to implement a federally funded fatherhood education program.BackgroundFederal grants for Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood programs have increased employment opportunities for parenting educators, who often take on multiple duties. Despite initial job descriptions, adjustments are necessary to achieve programmatic milestones and satisfy funder expectations. Nevertheless, research available to guide employers regarding the hiring, managing, and time allocation of parenting educators is limited.MethodDescriptive analyses of the activity logs of 10 parenting educators were conducted. Parenting educators also participated in retrospective interviews at program conclusion.ResultsThe largest percentage of time was spent on class activities, followed by professional development, and administrative duties.ConclusionsThe duties of full‐time parenting educators go well beyond teaching.ImplicationsIndividuals entering into parent education positions come from a diversity of backgrounds. Their understanding of the discipline of parent education may be limited by the types of experience they have had to date. Organizations hiring parenting educators may benefit from providing new employee training that includes theory, skills, and concepts related to family life education, business, marketing, and administration. In this study, we provide lessons from the field gleaned from the parenting educators hired to implement a federally funded fatherhood education program. Implications include strategies for posting, hiring, and supervising parenting educator positions.