Relationship education programs can serve as a resource to families in developing and maintaining strong familial relationships, particularly for underserved populations. This qualitative study focuses on effective strategies, used by 14 facilitators, to teach Latino participants attending Smart Steps: Embrace the Journey stepfamily education courses in a western state. Results indicated two major themes regarding culturally appropriate strategies. The first dealt with classroom management and the approach of the facilitators, which included three subthemes: encouraging class discussion and sharing, applying cultural understanding, and recognizing the importance of the parent-child relationship. The second major theme addressed modifications to the program curriculum.

No abstract

Over the past decade, relationship education has grown as a means of enhancing couple relationships. This longitudinal study was designed to examine the experiences and outcomes of 2,828 adults who participated in the Smart Steps for Stepfamilies: Embrace the Journey program. Self-report measures of relationship quality, commitment, and relationship instability were administered prior to participation, then immediately, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year after participation. A three-level growth-curve analysis using hierarchical linear model suggested that stepfamily participants experienced small but statistically significant immediate increases in relationship quality and stability, but those gains diminished over time. The statistical analyses tested for moderating effects of individual and couple characteristics on programmatic outcomes over time. Application of these findings and implications for relationship education for stepfamilies are discussed.

ABSTRACT. Rural, low-income families face a multitude of challenges in their quest for economic security. This paper presents the major findings from two studies, Rural Families Speak and Rural Families Speak about Health, that highlight factors that contribute to the economic well-being of these families. These factors included employment challenges as well as the role of various types of support, such as public assistance programs, social and family networks, resource management skills, and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Policymakers should pay special attention to income needs of vulnerable families in the context of unique challenges of living in rural areas. Economically secure rural families are better prepared to play important roles in the viability and vitality of their communities. Policy implications and recommendations to improve families' economic well-being are provided with this perspective in mind.

Aims Orthodontic care and its effectiveness have increasingly become the focus of political and public attention in the recent past. Therefore, this multicenter cohort study aimed to report about the effectiveness of orthodontic treatments in Germany and to identify potential influencing factors. Methods A total of 586 patients from seven German study centers were screened for this cohort study, of which 361 patients were recruited at the end of their orthodontic treatment. Of these, 26 patients had missing study models and/or missing treatment information. Thus, 335 participants were included. The severity of malocclusion was rated using the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) Index at baseline (T0) retrospectively and—prospectively—after the retention period (T1). Practitioner-, treatment- and patient-related information were analyzed in order to detect potential predictive factors for treatment effectiveness. Results Study participants (202 female and 133 male) were on average 14.8 (standard deviation [SD] ± 6.1) years old at start of active treatment. Average PAR score at T0 was 25.96 (SD ± 10.75) and mean posttreatment PAR score was 3.67 (SD ± 2.98) at T1. An average decrease of total PAR score by 22.30 points (SD ± 10.73) or 83.54% (SD ± 14.58; p < 0.001) was detected. Furthermore, 164 treatments (49.1%) were categorized as ‘greatly improved’ but only 3 treatments (0.9%) as ‘worse or no different’; 81.5% of all cases finished with a high-quality treatment outcome (≤5 PAR points at T1). Logistic regression analyses detected staff experience as a significant predictive factor for high-quality results (odds ratio 1.27, p = 0.001, 95% confidence interval 1.11–1.46). Conclusion The improvement rate among this selected German cohort indicated an overall very good standard of orthodontic treatment. Staff experience proved to be a predictive factor for high-quality results.