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ENRICHMENT OUTCOME RESEARCH:A META‐ANALYSIS OF PREMARITAL, MARITAL AND FAMILY INTERVENTIONS
Author(s) -
Giblin Paul,
Sprenkle Douglas H.,
Sheehan Robert
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-0606.1985.tb00619.x
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , meta analysis , psychology , intervention (counseling) , salient , clinical psychology , outcome (game theory) , developmental psychology , social psychology , medicine , psychiatry , computer science , mathematics , mathematical economics , artificial intelligence
The findings from a meta‐analysis of 85 studies of premarital, marital, and family enrichment, representing 3,886 couples or families are presented. Metaanalysis is a method for statistically aggregating and evaluating empirical findings. Findings from the study are discussed in terms of overall enrichment effectiveness as well as salient program, subject, design, measurement, and analysis characteristics. The enrichment studies yielded an average effect size of .44, which indicates that the average person who participates in enrichment is better off following intervention than 67% of those who do not. The most powerful factors related to outcome were measurement variables rather than those related to program content, structure, leadership, or participant characteristics. Implications of these findings are discussed.