None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Couple Relationship Education (CRE) is a preventative intervention for couples in intimate relationships, aiming to teach couples the skills required to maintain a mutually satisfying relationship before small issues become larger problems causing conflict and distress. Although CRE programs have been shown to be effective with civilian couples, few studies have looked at the effectiveness of CRE programs with military personnel and their spouses. The current study will tailor an existing CRE program for civilian couples, Couple CARE, to address the relationship challenges that may arise as a result of the unique military lifestyle; namely, postings, routine separations and deployments. Couples will complete measures of relationship satisfaction, stability, communication and individual adjustment, both before and after participation in the program, and again at a six month follow-up. Their scores on these outcomes will be compared to those of a control group, to assess whether CRE has a positive impact on relationship outcomes for military couples.
Interventions
An existing skills-training Couple Relationship Education program, Couple CARE, will be tailored to address the needs of military couples.
This intervention is designed to prevent couples from experiencing relationship distress; military couples are likely at higher risk of distress than civilian couples, due to the unique demands placed on their relationship such as postings, separations and deployments.
The program will consist of 6-7 units, each addressing a different aspect of couple rel
An existing skills-training Couple Relationship Education program, Couple CARE, will be tailored to address the needs of military couples. This intervention is designed to prevent couples from experiencing relationship distress; military couples are likely at higher risk of distress than civilian couples, due to the unique demands placed on their relationship such as postings, separations and deployments. The program will consist of 6-7 units, each addressing a different aspect of couple relationships (e.g. communication, conflict management), aimed at teaching couples the skills required to maintain a mutually-satisfying relationship. The program will take approximately 7 weeks in total to complete. Couples will complete the intervention in flexible delivery format. Couples are sent materials and instructed to complete each unit at home in their own time. For each unit, couples watch a short vignette on a DVD and complete exercises in a guidebook; some activities are completed individually, and some as a couple. Each unit takes approximately 50 minutes to complete. Couples then have a 50 minute telephone or Skype session with their educator, who revises the content and helps the couple apply the ideas to their own relationship. While the program is designed to fit around the busy military lifestyle, ideally couples will complete one unit (total 100 minutes) per week for 6-7 weeks (program yet to be finalised).
Sponsors
University of Queensland
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
At least one partner must be a currently-serving, full-time member of the Australian Defence Force; the couple will have been married, engaged or cohabiting for a period of six months or longer; both partners must have written and verbal fluency in English; both partners must reside in the Brisbane area, and each individual must consent to their participation in the study.
Exclusion criteria
Couples will be excluded if initial assessment data suggest the couple are experiencing high levels of relationship distress; if the couple is currently undergoing couple therapy, or if either partner is currently receiving individual treatment for a psychological or psychiatric condition.
Outcome results
None listed