Enhancing relationship skills and couple functioning with mobile technology: An evaluation of the Love Every Day mobile intervention

Abstract

A research-informed mobile application (app) was created to encourage and activate couples to demonstrate healthy relationship behaviors in an effort to promote relationship quality, stability, and resilience. The app, , is grounded in the literature on couple quality, habit formation, and family resilience, and it uses tenets of effective behavioral intervention technologies. Forty-three couples ( = 86 participants) engaged with the app across a 21-day period and completed online evaluations, which consisted of a pretest, posttest, and three weekly questionnaires. Findings suggest that the couples' app promoted high levels of engagement, such that most participants viewed the app multiple times a day and also submitted answers to daily prompts 19.8 of the 21 days (94% of the intervention). Pretest and posttest assessments suggest that participants enhanced their relationship skills and behaviors, including knowledge of their partner's general well-being, care for one's partner, partner communication, and self-efficacy to manage conflict. Participants also reported higher levels of relationship quality after engaging with the app for 21 days, including less relationship distress, greater partner cohesion, better relationship satisfaction, and more relationship confidence. Implications for self-directed modes of relationship education and promoting family resilience are discussed.

Helping couples achieve relationship success: A decade of progress in couple relationship education research and practice, 2010–2019

“…Important developments in the CRE field are documented by several valuable reviews (e.g., Markman et al, 2019;Stanley et al, 2020) as well as important meta-analytic studies (e.g., Hawkins & Erickson, 2015;Lucier-Greer & Adler-Baeder, 2012). These reviews of CRE have documented how participation in educational interventions, on average, helps both advantaged and disadvantaged couples strengthen relationship skills and increase satisfaction, but also pointed out critical gaps in the field and areas of needed improvement.…”

Which Relationship Service Fits Best? Teaching the Difference Between Relationship Education and Couples Therapy

“…As flexible delivery options continue to grow in popularity in providing RE (Lucier-Greer et al, 2018), practitioners may find using online module content similar to what was presented in this study beneficial for working with participants. Those interested in the methods used in this study are encouraged to contact the authors.…”

“…Flexible-delivery RE programs are also increasing in popularity and effectiveness (McAllister, Duncan, & Hawkins, 2012). Recent reports show that an online RE program had a positive effect on relationship satisfaction and communication skills (Knopp & Rhoades, 2018), and a mobile app-based RE program enhanced relationship quality, skills, and behaviors (Lucier-Greer, Birney, Gutierrez, & Adler-Baeder, 2018).…”

Parents’ use of mobile applications in the first year of parenthood: a narrative review of the literature

“…Health Technol 2021 | http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/ht-20-28 services and information for parents who are difficult to reach through typical methods (pamphlets, consultations, and classes) due to geographical barriers, time constraints, and stigma (31,32,57). This literature review found several apps that were specifically developed for disadvantaged or vulnerable populations such as military and low-income fathers (34); mothers living in rural and remote areas (47); high-risk mothers (56); parents with low socioeconomic status (43,50,60,61); refugees (62); and areas of low internet connectivity (63).…”