Faculty Articles

Effectiveness of online OurRelationship and ePREP programs for low-income military couples.

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

ISSN

1939-2117

Publication Date

10-2020

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Military couples need and desire relationship interventions. Online interventions improve access; however, their effectiveness within the military population is untested. Using a subsample from a larger randomized controlled trial of OurRelationship and ePREP online relationship programs for low-income couples, this study examined baseline characteristics of military compared with civilian couples enrolled (Aim 1), treatment effects within military couples (Aim 2), and treatment differences between military and matched civilian participants (Aim 3).

METHOD: Military couples (n = 90 couples) in which 1 or both partners were active duty (11%) or veterans (89%) were selected from the larger randomized controlled trial along with a matched civilian sample selected using propensity scores.

RESULTS: No differences were found between military and civilian couples regarding baseline individual or relationship functioning. Program completion was lower among military couples (57%) compared with civilians (71%), whereas program satisfaction was equally positive. Among military couples, relationship satisfaction, conflict, emotional support, and breakup potential were significantly improved after treatment (between-groups d = 0.31-0.46) and maintained at follow-up; intimate partner violence and individual functioning domains did not improve. When comparing military and civilian samples, there was a pattern of stronger treatment impacts on individual functioning for civilians, although only the impact on insomnia evidenced a significant difference.

CONCLUSIONS: These online relationship interventions improved relationship functioning for military couples. More research is needed to test these interventions among clinically impaired military populations and to explore potential for improving program completion and effects on relationship violence and individual wellbeing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000606

Volume

88

Issue

10

First Page

899

Last Page

906

PubMed ID

33048570

Peer Reviewed

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