Remarriage Preparation: Usage,Perceived Helpfulness,and Dyadic Adjustment

This study provides a contemporary evaluation of 10 different forms of remarriage preparation. Utilizing a subsample of 303 remarried couples from a larger study of newlyweds, we report usage of remarriage preparation and perceived helpfulness as well as differences in dyadic adjustment between respondents who did or did not prepare. Those who participated in some form of preparation generally found it helpful. The majority of those who did not prepare felt it was unnecessary. Differences in dyadic adjustment varied by the form of preparation. Implications for scholars, practitioners, and policy makers include the need for more research‐based materials that counter popular stepfamily myths as well as resources that can be made available to the public through mediums that are trusted and commonly accessed.     

An Evaluation of the Remarriage and Stepfamily Self‐Help Literature

The purpose of this study was to critique in‐print, post‐1990 copyrighted stepfamily self‐help books in order to provide guidance to helping professionals who work with these complex families. Of the 63 books reviewed, trained coders were able to strongly recommend 13 books for being well organized, for relying on clinical or empirical sources of information, and for offering practical and concrete advice specific enough for stepfamily members to implement.     

Portrayals of Stepfamilies in Film: Using Media Images in Remarriage Education

Abstract: Media portrayals of stepfamilies influence societal views of stepfamilies and individuals’ expectations for remarriage and stepfamily life. This study examines portrayals of stepfamilies in films released in 1990 through 2003. Using content analysis to understand how stepfamilies are portrayed and to identify film clips appropriate for use in remarriage education programs, we found that stepfamilies were typically depicted in a negative or mixed way. In addition, stepparent‐child relations, remarried couple relationships, and issues related to former partners were frequently portrayed. Film clips illustrating themes of stepparent‐child relationships, prior marriage, conflict with former partner(s), couple relations, couple conflict, stepsibling relations, and stepfamily strengths are discussed, as well as their use in educational programming.     

The Role of Participant‐Facilitator Demographic Match in Couple and Relationship Education

Offerings of couple and relationship education in recent years have included more diverse populations of participants, as well as more diverse facilitators in community‐based program delivery. As a result, the opportunity has emerged to examine contextual factors that may impact program effects. This study examined the relationship between participant‐facilitator demographic match of ethnicity, sex, education, and relationship status on reported facilitator quality and program outcomes, as well as the relationship between facilitator quality and program outcomes. Results indicated that sex match was related to facilitator quality. Relationship status match was related to change in couple functioning, and education match was related to change in individual functioning. Additionally, facilitator quality was related to program outcomes. Findings suggest the value of adopting an additive approach to program implementation, in which facilitation quality and skills and similarity between participant and facilitator are considered.     

Integrating Life Skills into Relationship and Marriage Education: The Essential Life Skills for Military Families Program

Military personnel and families experience significant challenges and need skills that will prepare them for extended periods of separation and other military demands. Relationship and marriage education programs are often helpful. However, there is a need for life skills programs that also teach military members to manage finances and legal matters, garner social support, and access community resources that are not often accessible to personnel and families in the National Guard and Military Reserves. Essential Life Skills for Military Families was developed to integrate relationship and life skills into a short‐term course that has been offered to National Guard and Military Reserve members and families. This article describes the theoretical basis for the program, the program evaluation, and qualitative findings from participants, and identifies strategies for overcoming challenges to offering this kind of relationship skills program.     

Best Practices in Relationship Education Focused on Intimate Relationships

Relationship education is widely used to help people develop and sustain healthy romantic relationships. We first provide a review on the current state of evidence and key issues in the field, laying a foundation for suggesting specific best practices in relationship education. We focus on services provided to couples but also address the burgeoning field of relationship education with individuals. Although there are many gaps in the knowledge informing best practices—such as mechanisms of effect and dose—decades of research and experience provide a strong basis for specific recommendations. The hallmark of an evidence-based, best-practice approach lies in making thoughtful decisions based on current knowledge, the goals of the effort, the population served, and available resources.     

The Foundations of Family Life Education Model: Understanding the Field

Implementation of family life education (FLE) can positively influence individual and family well-being by helping families to help themselves. However, because the nature of FLE is not widely understood, a comprehensive model highlighting and integrating fundamentals of the practice is needed. The foundations of family life education model (FFLE) is a visual illustration that incorporates foundational principles of FLE with changes in culture, context, content, practice, and family well-being across time. In addition to the visual representation of core concepts defining FLE and their relationship with each other, the model provides a unique conceptualization by reframing the frequently referenced 10 content areas as concepts within the content, context, and practice of the field. The creation of a graphic identity for the practice of FLE can offer greater clarity and understanding regarding the nature of FLE, thereby increasing opportunities for implementation and best practices.     

Which Relationship Service Fits Best? Teaching the Difference Between Relationship Education and Couples Therapy

Current evidence suggests that many people do not understand the difference between relationship education (RE) and couples therapy (CT). A major facet of the theory of planned behavior suggests that attitudes play a large role in shaping intentions and behavior, including the decision to attend a relationship service. If the public does not distinguish between RE and CT, bur rather believe RE and CT are the same, fewer people may be inclined to attend RE. For this study, a brief, online module was created to teach the difference between RE and CT. Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group receiving the module, or to a control group. Both groups completed a pretest and two sets of posttests (1 day and 1 month after pretest). Results showed that the module had an effect on clarifying the difference between RE and CT, boosting positive appraisals of the helpfulness of RE and CT, and some effect on the intentions to seek and attend relationship services. As an implication of this work, family life education media campaigns can help to increase knowledge of the types of services available and aid in the decision to attend.     

Are Government‐Supported Healthy Marriage Initiatives Affecting Family Demographics? A State‐Level Analysis

This study assesses whether government‐supported Healthy Marriage Initiatives (HMIs)—educational programs to help couples form and sustain healthy marriages and relationships—have had a measurable impact on population‐level family outcomes. We compiled data on funding for these initiatives between 2000 and 2010 and aggregated these data to the state level for each year. We employed pooled time‐series regression with fixed state and year effects to estimate the effects of funding on population‐level outcomes taken from the American Community Survey. Cumulative per capita funding for HMIs between 2005 and 2010 was positively associated with small changes in the percentage of married adults in the population and children living with two parents, and it was negatively associated with the percentage of children living with one parent, nonmarital births, and children living in poverty. These results were diminished, however, when an influential outlier—Washington, DC—was removed from the analysis. Interpretations and implications of these findings are discussed.     

The Impact of Relationship Education on Adolescents of Diverse Backgrounds

Abstract: Adolescent‐focused marriage education is a relatively uncharted research area. Using a quasi‐experimental design, this study examined the effectiveness of an adapted version of the curriculum entitled, Love U2: Increasing Your Relationship Smarts with an economically, geographically, and racially diverse sample of 340 high school students. Findings suggest that participants showed increases in 5 dimensions of their relationship knowledge, including their ability to identify unhealthy relationship patterns. Participants also had more realistic beliefs about relationships/marriages and reported lower levels of verbal aggression use at postprogram compared to controls. Moreover, these findings existed across race, household income, and family structure type, with all participating students benefiting in similar ways. Implications for future programming and research are discussed.     

Processes of Change in Self‐Directed Couple Relationship Education

Abstract: The current study examined the learning processes involved in professionally supported self‐directed couple relationship education (CRE). Fifty‐nine couples completed Couple CARE, a systematic, self‐directed CRE program designed in flexible delivery mode to be completed at home. Couples watched a DVD introducing key relationship ideas and skills and then completed a structured guidebook. The learning process was supported by telephone‐based coaching sessions from a professional relationship educator. Couples completed the learning tasks associated with the programe and successfully implemented a wide range of relationship self‐change, and most reported continuing implementation of program learning at 6 months follow‐up. These findings suggest that Couple CARE is readily accessible and results in effective skill acquisition for couples.     

Innovation and Integration of Sexuality in Family Life Education

As a fundamental aspect of the human experience, sexuality is experienced at every stage in the life span. Sexual values, behaviors, and health are important components of individual and family well-being. Educating about such a fundamental aspect of life is both obvious and crucial. In this article, we consider the potential of sexuality education in the field and profession of family life education (FLE). We critique sexuality education in the United States and the marginal place of human sexuality in the FLE field. We then offer recommendations for incorporating life span, socioecological, family systems, and intersectionality perspectives into sexuality education, and recommendations for FLE and sexuality education research and practice. We argue that educating about sexuality in the context of FLE—and activating the profession of FLE for sexuality education—will strategically advance sexuality education, sexual health, and the field of FLE.     

An Interactive Web‐Based Program for Stepfamilies: Development and Evaluation of Efficacy

This study evaluated the efficacy of a family life education program for stepfamilies that is self‐administered, interactive, and web‐based. The program uses behavior‐modeling videos to demonstrate effective couple, parenting, and stepparenting practices. A diverse sample of 300 parents/stepparents of a child aged 11–15 years were randomized into either treatment or delayed‐access control groups. Findings suggest that participation in the stepfamily education program positively influenced several key areas of parenting and family functioning at postprogram and follow‐up. No gender differences were noted in the findings.     

Global Family Concerns and the Role of Family Life Education: An Ecosystemic Analysis

We surveyed colleagues from 4 international professional organizations involved with families in order to examine global family concerns and the role of family life education from an ecosystemic perspective. Our sample represented 6 continents and 50 countries. Survey results indicated that family education and related coursework were available in all continents along with considerable public interest in family education. International public concern about family issues was related to population characteristics, values related to parenting and childrearing, interest in family and health legislation/regulations, and public interest in family, parent, and marriage education.     

Placing Feminist Education Within the Three Paradigms of Knowledge and Action*

Use of the three paradigms of knowledge and action (instrumental‐technical, interpretive, and critical‐emancipatory) to achieve the goals of feminist family education is explored. Each paradigm is described, including its underlying assumptions and when it is useful to use. Feminist methods in selected Family Relations articles between 1988–1999 are examined for their illustration of the three paradigms. Various challenges in using the interpretive and critical‐emancipatory paradigms also are discussed.     

The Family Life Education Needs of Midlife and Older Adults*

Using a life course perspective, we report the findings from a needs assessment for midlife and older adults regarding family life education. A sample of 264 adults aged 50 and older indicated interest in 29 family life education topics. The highest rated topics were nutrition and health, fitness and exercise, and positive aspects of aging. Overall, results from age and gender comparisons suggested that midlife adults (50–64) were more interested in family life education topics than were older adults (65+) and that women were more interested than men.     

Reconceptualizing the Domain and Boundaries of Family Life Education

Many scholars have defined family life education (FLE), and some have differentiated it from other family‐related fields. For example, Doherty (1995) provided a definition of the boundaries between FLE and family therapy; however, we believe those criteria can be improved. We explore the professions of family life education, family therapy, and family case management using the questions why, what, when, for whom, and how? After examining these questions for each role, we introduce the domains of family practice to differentiate among them. The approach defines FLE and encourages appropriate collaboration among the fields. Suggestions are made for using this model for career exploration, reviewing job requirements to assess role consistency and clarity, and for determining the need for and appropriateness of referral and collaboration.     

Toward a Framework for Military Family Life Education: Culture,Context, Content,and Practice

Grounded in multiple ways of thinking about families, we propose a beginning framework for developing and implementing military family life education. We first situate this work within the context of established family life education frameworks. Then, we discuss features of military culture, including its contexts and demands on families, to highlight the realities of life as a military family and underscore available strengths that family life educators may build upon. This is followed by a discussion of family science theories emphasizing components that can inform and ground military family life education. Next, we draw on lessons from recent comprehensive reviews of programs, including their merits and demerits. Finally, we cite example programs, including those embedded in military family support systems themselves, and resources that are available to family life educators. Ultimately, we propose a set of ideas that inform a framework for developing and implementing military family life education aligned with the realities of family life as well as the vulnerabilities and the resilience of military families.