Family Matters

It is not surprising that a growing body of research finds that families do better when they live in low-conflict, happy homes. As part of its “family strengthening research agenda,” the Department of Health and Human Services has been looking for ways to improve outcomes for children by strengthening families. A new report by researchers at MDRC looks at one program designed to help low-income married couples strengthen their relationships, thereby supporting stable and nurturing home environments for parents and children.

The Supporting Healthy Marriages (SHM) evaluation tested a voluntary, yearlong marriage education program for over six thousand low-income married couples who have children or are expecting a child in eight locations across the United States. The core program consisted of group education workshops designed to help couples enhance the quality of their relationships by teaching strategies such as conflict-management and effective communication. Workshops were complemented by supplemental activities like social events and individualized family support services.

MDRC compared outcomes for families that received the comprehensive marriage education program to other families who did not receive the program but were able to access other services. Couples that received the comprehensive set of services participated in nearly thirty hours of programming over the course of the year.

Twelve months after the SHM program was implemented, couples that participated in the program reported several small, positive effects on their relationship including higher levels of marital happiness, more positive communication skills, and less psychological abuse from their spouses. Men that participated in the program reported fewer incidents of physical assault and less psychological distress. Observers also reported that participants had significantly higher levels of positive communication skills from both men and women.

In the short run, the marriage education program produced a consistent pattern of small but positive results on relationship outcomes that are related to the well-being of children. However, these positive effects came with a fairly substantial cost: the marriage education program averaged $9,100 per couple. All sites delivered the SHM model according to pre-established guidelines, as reported in the companion implementation report, and MDRC points out the opportunity for future research to determine how to cut costs and condense the program while maintaining its quality.

MDRC plans to issue future impact reports on whether the program has longer-term influences on rates of divorce and separation, parenting, father engagement, and child-wellbeing. For now, though, it appears that comprehensive marriage education programs can improve the relationships of low-income, married couples in the short-term and influence important outcomes related to child well-being.

Feature photo: cc/Martin Gommel