A review of empirically supported marital enrichment programs^*

Abstract

Considering the popularity of marriage enrichment programs, it is important for clinicians and marriage educators to know which programs have received empirical support. Using criteria established for determining empirically supported treatments (ESTs), we provide a comprehensive review of the outcome research on 13 specific marital enrichment programs. Only four programs could be considered “efficacious,” three were found to be “possibly efficacious,” and six were considered “empirically untested.”

Examining Parental Alliance for Low-Income Participants Who Attended Relationship Education With or Without a Partner

“…Several couples/relationship education curricula exist; however, PREP is one of the best known and most published (e.g., Halford, Sanders, & Behrens, 2001;Jakubowski, Milne, Brunner, & Miller 2004). We used two PREP relationship curricula, Within Our Reach (WOR; Stanley et al, 2006) and Within My Reach (WMR; Pearson, Stanley, & Rhoades, 2008), that have been tailored specifically for economically disadvantaged individuals/couples to evaluate the efficacy for working with this population.…”

Investigating the Influence of Relationship Education on Parental Attitudes

“…The Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP; Markman, Stanley, & Blumberg, 2001) is one of many examples of a skillstraining RE program and is one of the most well-known and most published relationship curricula (e.g., Carlson, Barden, Daire, & Greene, 2014;Halford, Sanders, & Behrens, 2001;Jakubowski, Milne, Brunner, & Miller 2004). In a 2012 study, Owen, Quirk, Bergen, Inch, and France investigated the efficacy of PREP for unmarried low-income minority couples who were new parents or expecting a child for the first time.…”

The Couples Enhancement Workshop: A Brief Approach for Group Work With Couples

“…Hawkins and Fackrell (2010) and Jakubowski, Milne, Brunner, and Miller (2004) provide thorough reviews of many current practices and found that the evidence generally supports these kinds of practices. Examples of common couples enhancement models are the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP; Markman, Floyd, Stanley, & Jamieson, 1984;Sullivan & Goldschmidt, 2000), Couples Coping Enhancement Training (CCET; Ledermann et al, 2007), and the Practical Application of the Intimate Relationship Skills (PAIRS; DeMaria & Hannah, 2002).…”