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Couple Relationship Education at the Transition to Parenthood: A Window of Opportunity to Reach High‐Risk Couples
Author(s) -
Petch Jemima,
Halford W. Kim,
Creedy Debra K.,
Gamble Jenny
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/j.1545-5300.2012.01420.x
Subject(s) - window of opportunity , psychology , distress , drop out , developmental psychology , transition (genetics) , psychological distress , risk factor , relationship education , social psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , demographic economics , psychiatry , mental health , biochemistry , chemistry , real time computing , computer science , economics , gene
This study evaluated if the transition to parenthood is a window of opportunity to provide couple relationship education ( CRE ) to new parents at high risk for future relationship problems. Fifty‐three percent of eligible couples approached agreed to participate in CRE and of these 80% had not previously accessed CRE . Couples were a broad representative of A ustralian couples having their first child, but minority couples were underrepresented. A third of couples had three or more risk factors for future relationship distress (e.g., cohabiting, interpartner violence, elevated psychological distress, unplanned pregnancy). Low education was the only risk factor that predicted drop out. The transition to parenthood is a window of opportunity to recruit certain types of high‐risk couples to CRE .