Equipping couples with the tools to cope with predictable and unpredictable crisis events: the PREP Program.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Family Studies
• Intervention Science

Background:

• Marital distress is a significant issue impacting relationship stability.
• Primary prevention programs are crucial for mitigating relationship challenges before they escalate.
• Crisis intervention principles can be adapted for preventative relationship programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the application of crisis intervention principles in primary prevention for marital distress.
• To assess the effectiveness of the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP).
• To examine PREP's role in decreasing risk factors and increasing protective factors in relationships.

Main Methods:

• The study focuses on the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP), an empirically-supported intervention.
• PREP teaches couples essential skills like conflict resolution and communication.
• The program emphasizes fostering intimacy, commitment, and friendship.

Main Results:

• PREP significantly decreases multiple indicators of marital distress.
• The positive effects of PREP on marital distress persist for up to four years post-participation.
• Participation in PREP has been shown to increase overall marital satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• PREP serves as an effective universal preventative intervention for marital distress.
• The skills taught in PREP protect relationships from normative and non-predictive crises.
• PREP not only mitigates crisis impact but may also reduce the likelihood of crises occurring.