Although prevention of relationship distress and dissolution has potential to strengthen the well-being of partners and any children they are raising, dissemination of prevention programs can be limited because couples face many barriers...
moreAlthough prevention of relationship distress and dissolution has potential to strengthen the well-being of
partners and any children they are raising, dissemination of prevention programs can be limited because
couples face many barriers to in-person participation. An alternative strategy, providing couples with an
instructional DVD, is tested in the present study, in which 330 Caucasian couples (N 660 participants;
mean age: men 41.4 years, women 40.0 years) were randomly assigned to a DVD group without any
further support, a DVD group with technical telephone coaching, or a wait-list control group. Couples
completed questionnaires at pretest, posttest, and 3 and 6 months after completion of the intervention.
Self-report measures of dyadic coping, communication quality, ineffective arguing, and relationship
satisfaction were used to test whether the intervention groups improved in comparison with the control
group. Women in both intervention groups increased in dyadic coping, reduced conflict behavior, and
were more satisfied with their relationship 6 months after the intervention. Effects for men were mixed.
Participants with poorer skills reported stronger improvement. Intimate relationships can, within limits,
be positively influenced by a self-directed approach. Effective dissemination of principles underlying
successful relationships can be facilitated through the use of emerging low-cost tools and technologies.
