Offering Individual-Oriented Relationship Education: Challenges and Opportunities GALENA K. RHOADES,...
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Transcript of Offering Individual-Oriented Relationship Education: Challenges and Opportunities GALENA K. RHOADES,...
Offering Individual-Oriented Relationship
Education: Challenges and Opportunities
GALENA K. RHOADES, PH.D.UNIVERSITY OF DENVER
Traditional Relationship Education
Provided to committed couples, often in healthy relationships
In the 1990s, 30% of couples received premarital education
95% of this education was delivered through a religious organization
Components: Relationship assessment Communication skills Personality differences
Stanley, Amato, Markman, & Johnson, 2006
Effectiveness of Traditional Relationship Education
Samples: Middle-class, White
Couples who do relationship education generally: are satisfied with the services improve their communication maintain improved communication over time have a lower divorce rate
Carroll, J. S., & Doherty, W. J. (2003). Evaluating the effectiveness of premarital prevention programs: A meta-analytic review of outcome research. Family Relations, 52(2), 105-118.
Basic U.S. Relationship Statistics
Divorce rate: 36-60%, depending on education level
Children born to unmarried parents: 36.8% Median age at first marriage: 27.1 for men,
25.3 for women Median age at first birth: 24.6 60-75% of couples live together before
marriage 40-50% of women have ever cohabited
Bumpass & Lu, 2000; CDC, 2002, 2006; Raley & Bumpass, 2003; Stanley et al., 2004; U.S. Census, 2003
Gaps in Relationship Education
Services for: Individuals (vs. couples) Individuals not in relationships Unhealthy or violent relationships Couples with children by previous partners Populations with low income levels
Targets for Early, Individual-Oriented Relationship Education
What is a healthy relationship? SafetyPlanning for the futureMaking decisions about partners and relationships Communication skillsExpectations for relationshipsImpact of adult relationships on child well-beingManaging children and new relationshipsBarriers to marriageThe positive role fathers can playBuilding social support
Core Development Team
Authors:• Marline Pearson, M.A.• Scott Stanley, Ph.D.• Galena Rhoades, Ph.D.• PREP content and strategies
(conflict and communication skills, expectations)
Consultants:– Domestic violence experts, Anne Menard
and Michael Johnson, Ph.D.– Oklahoma Marriage Initiative, George
Young, Tony Russell, and Scott Roby – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
program instructors– Women receiving TANF– Pilot classes– Sociologists, policy experts, Kristin
Seefeldt, Ph.D. and Kathryn Edin, Ph.D.
Overarching Goals
• Help those in viable relationships to cultivate, protect, and stabilize their unions, and to marry if desired.
• Help those in damaging relationships to leave safely, at some point.
• Help those desiring a romantic relationship and/or marriage in the future to choose future partners wisely.
Initial Target Population
• Women in welfare programs– Presence of children– High financial stress, chaos– Threats to personal safety (neighborhoods and
partners)
• Now used with other populations– E.g., Men, prisons, college students, religious
organizations
Structure of Curriculum15 hours of core material
Three major sections:
1. Understanding Healthy Relationships, Risks, and Making Decisions• Sliding vs. deciding• Knowing yourself first
2. Building and Maintaining Healthy Relationships• Safety• Communication skills
3. Moving Forward toward Goals “Within My Reach”• Planning for the future• Managing children and relationships• Infidelity• Barriers to marriage
Safety• Messages about safety throughout
– Keeping workbooks safe– Leaving safely– Help for domestic violence
• Unit on domestic violence– Recognizing warning signs– Intimate terrorism vs. arguments-that-get-physical– Getting help and support
Instructor Materials (Spanish versions available)
Participant Materials (Spanish versions available)
Structure of Curriculum
16 hours of core materialThree major sections:1.Knowing What You’re Made Of:
• Sliding vs. deciding• Personality, hidden issues, family background
2.Being a Great Buddy• Communication skills, stress and anger
management, prejudice, domestic violence, suicide prevention, alcohol
3.Decide, Don’t Slide into Love• Expectations in relationships, mate selection,
commitment
Benefits of Individual-oriented Relationship Education
AccessEducation on violenceEducation on the transitions and decisions that
come before a commitment to marryEducation on relationship choices and children’s
well-beingCommunication skills apply to many
relationshipsGateway to other services
Contact Information and Additional Resources
www.relationshipeducation.info
Galena Rhoades: [email protected], www.portfolio.du.edu/grhoades
PREP, Inc. www.PREPInc.com www.WithinMyReach.com
BECKY F. ANTLE, PHDELI A. KARAM, PHD
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLEKENT SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY PROGRAM
Relationship Education Across Louisville:
Within My Reach Implementation and Results
WITHIN MY REACHTM ©PREP for Individuals, Inc., 2005
1. Seek a Good Match.
2. Pay Attention to Values.
3. Choose a Real Partner, Not a “Make-over” Project.
4. Don’t Try to Change Yourself to Be Somebody Else.
5. Expect Good Communication and Don’t Run From Conflict.
6. Don’t Play Games, Pressure, or Manipulate Someone.
7. Have a Bottom Line.
SEVEN PRINCIPLES OFSmart Love
These principles, as presented here, are from the work of Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott. See Parrott, L. & Parrott, L. (1998). Relationships. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Used with permission from The Zondervan Corporation.
WITHIN MY REACHTM ©PREP for Individuals, Inc., 2005
THE FOUR COMMUNICATIONDanger Signs
1. Escalation
2. Put-Downs/Invalidation
3. Avoidance/Withdrawal
4. Negative Interpretations
WITHIN MY REACHTM ©PREP for Individuals, Inc., 2005WITHIN MY REACHTM ©PREP for Individuals, Inc., 2005
Participant Workbook Pages 40 - 41
WITHIN MY REACHTM ©PREP for Individuals, Inc., 2005
Speaker:1. Speak for yourself. Don’t mind-read!2. Keep statements brief. Don’t go on and on.3. Stop to let the Listener paraphrase.
Listener:1. Paraphrase what you hear.2. Focus on the Speaker’s message. Don’t rebut.
Both:1. The Speaker has the Floor.2. Speaker keeps the Floor while Listener paraphrases.3. Share the Floor.
RULES FOR THESpeaker Listener Technique
RELATIONSHIP EDUCATION ACROSS LOUISVILLE
FUNDED BY THE US DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, OFFICE OF FAMILY ASSISTANCE
Implementation Issues
Relationship Education Across Louisville: Implementation
Grant will use the Within My Reach curriculum from PREPServices are provided by through the 8 Neighborhood Place
sitesExisting staff at the NP sites have been trained by national
experts in Within My Reach Each NP site will offer 2 workshops per year to clientsApproximately 850 adults will be trained over the 5 years of
the grant “Training Booster Sessions” are offered to both adults and youth
to reinforce concepts from workshops, discuss issues with utilization of skills in current relationships
Facilitators and other grant/agency staff will refer clients with complex relationship needs to services in the community
Advisory Board of professionals with an interest in healthy relationships Facilitate collaboration between these key agencies and
professionals Identify existing and develop needed relationship services for
the community
Participants and Training Satisfaction
A total of 400 adults have completed the WMR program.
The majority of participants are female (80%) and African American (71%). The average age was 33.5 and number of children was 2. Approximately 33.3% were employed full-time.
Training satisfaction was very high, with a mean score of 66.2 out of a total possible score of 75 or 4.45 on a 5-point scale.
Learning
Learning was measured using a 25 item multiple choice knowledge test administered pre- and post-training.
There was a significant increase in participant knowledge from pre- to post-training. The average pre-test score was 32% correct, and the average post-test score was 55%.
Communication Skill Acquisition
There was a significant decrease in conflict engagement and the demand-withdraw dynamic.
There was a significant increase in the mutual cooperation approach for communication.
Communication and Conflict Resolution measured through standardized scales such as Communication Patterns Questionnaire (Noller & White, 1990) and Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory-Partner (Kurdeck, 1994)
Relationship Quality
For the WMR training, there was a significant improvement in relationship dynamics (Dyadic Adjustment Scale and Relationship Dynamics Scale) at six month follow-up. Dyadic Adjustment Scale
measures positive dynamics while Relationship Dynamics Scale measured negative patterns.
Relationship Quality measured through Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Spanier, 1976); Stanley-Markman Relationship Dynamics Scale (Renick et al, 1992).
Domestic Violence
There was also a significant reduction of physical violence and emotional control in relationships at six month follow-up.
Relationship violence measured through Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus, Hamby, Boney-McCoy, & Sugarman, 1996); Need for Control Scale (Bledsoe & Sar, 2004); and Controlling Behaviors Scale (Graham-Kevan & Archer, 2003).