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Effects of relationship education on emerging adults' relationship beliefs and behaviors
Author(s) -
HOLT LAURA J.,
MATTANAH JONATHAN F.,
SCHMIDT CHRISTA K.,
DAKS JENNIFER S.,
BROPHY ERIN N.,
MINNAAR PAULINE Y.,
RORER KATHERINE
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
personal relationships
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.81
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1475-6811
pISSN - 1350-4126
DOI - 10.1111/pere.12147
Subject(s) - psychology , relationship education , distress , intervention (counseling) , differential effects , psychological distress , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , social psychology , psychotherapist , mental health , psychiatry , medicine
In this multisite study, we used a randomized controlled trial to examine how a relationship education intervention affected emerging adults' maladaptive relationship beliefs, mutuality, relationship decision making, relationship quality, and psychological distress. In addition, we explored whether one intervention modality (i.e., facilitated group discussion) was more/less effective than another (i.e., self‐facilitated online) and whether there were differential effects for participants in a relationship. We found that the facilitated group evidenced a decline in maladaptive relationship beliefs and an improvement in deliberate decision making. Moreover, facilitated group participants in a relationship reported higher levels of mutuality. Contrary to our hypothesis, there were no changes in relationship quality or psychological distress. Implications for the content and delivery of relationship education for emerging adults are discussed.