Influence of Relationship Education on Relationship Satisfaction for Low‐Income Couples

Declining marriage rates and increases in divorce have garnered interest from researchers and policy makers. Although the cause of marital dissolution cannot be pinned to one singular source, several factors contribute to divorce, including loss of employment, financial instability, child rearing, mental health issues, and a lack of primary support (Neff & Karney, 2004). One often-cited study conducted by Raley and Bumpass (2003) examined demographic trends of marriage, divorce, and remarriage. Results indicated substantial differences in marital stability depending on individuals' age and education level at the time of marriage; estimates suggest that 70% of first marriages for Black/African American women will end in divorce compared with 47% of White women's first marriages. Furthermore, estimates on the influence of education suggest that 60% of marriages for individuals who drop out of high school will end in divorce compared with 36% of marriages when partners are college graduates. These findings confirmed earlier studies suggesting that socioeconomic status (SES) affects relationship quality (Conger et al., 1992; Conger, Elder, Lorenz, & Conger, 1990). Researchers (e.g., Dakin & Wampler, 2008; Karney, Story, & Bradbury, 2005; Neff & Karney, 2004) continued to identify links between stressors (e.g., economic strain, financial pressure, chronic stress) and decreased marital quality. Karney and Bradbury (2005) suggested that research targeting financially strained couples has previously neglected to account for contextual, or environmental, stressors facing low-income couples. They argued that even well-adjusted couples would experience relationship strain when facing some of the contextual stressors of low-income couples. Furthermore, economic strain predicts decreased marital adjustment (Kinnunen & Feldt, 2004), negatively influences marital happiness, and increases disagreements for couples (Voydanoff, 2004). Therefore, low-income couples consider financial instability the biggest barrier to maintaining a lasting relationship (Charles, Orthner, Jones, & Mancini, 2006); however, it does not appear to deter their desire for a committed relationship (Gibson-Davis, Edin, & McLanahan, 2005). Financial stressors influence parental quality and relationship satisfaction (Conger, Rueter, & Elder, 1999). Children whose parents divorce are more likely to divorce (Amato, 2000). Additionally, children whose parents experience marital discord are more likely to experience poor performance in school, reduced coping skills, and more behavioral problems (Amato & Booth, 2001, Amato, Loomis, & Booth, 1995; Moore, Kinghorn, & Bandy, 2011). Kirkland et al.'s (2011) research supported couples and relationship education (CRE) as effective at improving coparenting among couples who participated, as well as their children's social competence. Thus, improving relationship quality may help improve overall outcomes for children, even though children are not directly involved in relationship education workshops. The risk for relationship distress in low-income couples justifies the need to provide effective interventions to ameliorate distress. Recent federal funding supported the use of relationship education as an intervention to increase conflict resolution skills and promote healthy communication in low-income couples. Therefore, in the remainder of this article, we (a) provide an overview of relationship education; (b) present results from our study, which randomly assigned 54 couples to relationship education or a wait-list control group; (c) discuss the efficacy of relationship education in increasing relationship quality for low-income couples; and (d) highlight implications for counselor educators. Relationship Education CRE programs are skills-based curricula designed to promote healthy relationships, or relationships that are grounded in emotional, personal, and commitment safety (Stanley, Pearson, & Kline, 2005). …