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How effective are ACF-funded couple relationship education programs? A meta-analytic study.
Alan J Hawkins1, Sarah Hokanson1, Eden Loveridge1
1School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
Family Process
|January 18, 2022
Summary
Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education (HMRE) programs show small, significant impacts on relationship quality and mental health for lower-income individuals. However, effects on relationship stability and child well-being were not significant.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Family Studies
- Program Evaluation
Background:
- The U.S. Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has invested $1.2 billion since 2006 in Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education (HMRE) programs.
- HMRE initiatives aim to support lower-income couples and individuals in forming and maintaining stable relationships and marriages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a meta-analytic review of evaluation research on ACF-funded couple relationship education (CRE) programs.
- To examine the impact of CRE programs on couple, family, and individual well-being outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of 32 control-group studies evaluating ACF-funded CRE programs.
- Supplemental analysis of 19 pre-post studies.
- Moderator analyses to explore heterogeneity in effects.
Main Results:
- Small but significant positive effects were found for couple relationship quality (d=.114), relationship skills (d=.132), mental health (d=.074), and coparenting (d=.033).
- Non-significant effects were observed for relationship stability, parenting, and child well-being.
- Pre-post studies indicated larger effect sizes, and moderator analyses revealed significant heterogeneity.
Conclusions:
- ACF-funded CRE programs demonstrate modest benefits in specific areas like relationship quality and mental health.
- The effectiveness varies, suggesting the need for further research into moderators to optimize program design and implementation.
- Future research should focus on understanding factors that contribute to program heterogeneity for improved practice.
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