TY - JOUR
T1 - A Longitudinal Hierarchical Examination of Smart Steps for Stepfamilies With Ethnically and Economically Diverse Couples
AU - Reck, Katie
AU - Higginbotham, Brian
AU - Dew, Jeffrey
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Funding for this research was provided in part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (Grant No. 90FE0129 and Grant No. 90YD0227). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019.
PY - 2020/2/1
Y1 - 2020/2/1
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85072084711&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85072084711
SN - 0192-513X
VL - 41
JO - Journal of Family Issues
JF - Journal of Family Issues
IS - 2
ER -