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Given the powerful implications of relationship quality for health and well-being, a central mission of relationship science is explaining why some romantic relationships thrive more than others. This large-scale project used machine learning (i.e., Random Forests) to 1) quantify the extent to which relationship quality is predictable and 2) identify which constructs reliably predict relationship quality. Across 43 dyadic longitudinal datasets from 29 laboratories, the top relationship-specific predictors of relationship quality were perceived-partner commitment, appreciation, sexual satisfaction, perceived-partner satisfaction, and conflict. The top individual-difference predictors were life satisfaction, negative affect, depression, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety. Overall, relationship-specific variables predicted up to 45% of variance at baseline, and up to 18% of variance at the end of each study. Individual differences also performed well (21% and 12%, respectively). Actor-reported variables (i.e., own relationship-specific and individual-difference variables) predicted two to four times more variance than partner-reported variables (i.e., the partner's ratings on those variables). Importantly, individual differences and partner reports had no predictive effects beyond actor-reported relationship-specific variables alone. These findings imply that the sum of all individual differences and partner experiences exert their influence on relationship quality via a person's own relationship-specific experiences, and effects due to moderation by individual differences and moderation by partner-reports may be quite small. Finally, relationship-quality change (i.e., increases or decreases in relationship quality over the course of a study) was largely unpredictable from any combination of self-report variables. This collective effort should guide future models of relationships.

Positive and negative aspects of intimate relationships influence mental health and well-being in couples. According to the environmental sensitivity framework, individuals differ in how strongly they are affected by their environment, with some individuals being more or less sensitive to both negative and positive experiences. The present study examined the longitudinal associations between positive and negative relationship dynamics, including marital satisfaction, positive bonding, and negative communication, and psychological distress as well as the extent to which individual differences in genetic and subjective measures of environmental sensitivity moderated the association between relationship dynamics and psychological distress in a sample of couples in the U.S. Army (n = 238 individuals representing 152 unique couples). Sensitivity was measured by self-report and a polygenic score derived from previous genome-wide association study results. Separate three-level multilevel models were conducted for each relationship dynamic and sensitivity variable. Only for subjective (i.e., self-reported) sensitivity did significant cross-level interactions emerge in predicting psychological distress, whereas no such interactions were found for genetic (i.e., polygenic score) sensitivity. Specifically, lower marital satisfaction and positive bonding were associated with higher psychological distress among subjectively highly sensitive individuals, and higher negative communication was associated with higher psychological distress among subjectively highly sensitive individuals. Findings suggest that both low positive and high negative relationship dynamics may have a greater effect on psychological distress among highly sensitive individuals, which may help to inform tailored intervention to meet the unique needs of couples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We posit that evaluators of relationship education interventions can explore a policy relevant outcome by assessing relationship stability and conflict in a single index that is based on the literature on the effects of divorce and marital distress on children. We provide an empirical example from a randomized trial. Background: The U.S. Administration for Children and Families funds community‐based projects using relationship education with a foundational goal of fostering stable and healthy relationships. Assessing this outcome requires an approach different from separately analyzing stability and relationship quality. Method: We used data (N = 1,156 couples) from a randomized trial of Family Expectations to test the Stable Low‐Conflict Index, comparing couples assigned to the intervention to couples assigned to an untreated control group at a follow‐up 8 to 9 months postintervention. Results: Intervention couples were more likely to be in a stable, low‐conflict relationship at the follow up than control couples (b =.36, SE =.15, odds ratio = 1.44, p =.014). Conclusion: An index based on empirical precedence showed evidence of an intervention impact in a community‐based program. Implications: Evaluators of family policy linked interventions may advance the field by exploring outcomes that encapsulate aspects of both relationship stability and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined differences by sexual orientation in romantic relationship and marriage attitudes, and relationship skills, among a large, diverse sample of high school youth. Background: The romantic relationships of sexual minority youth have been understudied, particularly factors related to their relationship quality, such as attitudes and skills. Sweeping changes in social and legal equality (e.g., same‐sex marriage) have promoted a paradigm shift in relationship possibilities for sexual minority youth. Methods: Data were drawn from the baseline survey of a study of school‐based relationship education for adolescents. Adolescents (N = 979) completed a self‐report survey of their demographics, attitudes regarding romantic relationships and marriage, and their romantic relationship skills. Regression models examined differences by sexual orientation identity in relationship outcomes, controlling for relevant demographics. Results: Sixteen percent of youth identified as sexual minority. Sexual minority youth, relative to heterosexual youth, did not differ in their attitudes regarding qualities of healthy romantic relationships. However, sexual minority youth endorsed less traditional views of marriage and held less traditional expectations of marriage for themselves. They also perceived themselves to have fewer romantic relationship skills than heterosexual youth. Conclusions: Today's sexual minority youth hold less traditional views of marriage as a future for themselves, although legalized same‐sex marriage is now available. They perceived themselves as less skilled in romantic relationships, which are critical in adolescence for social and emotional development. Scientific efforts are needed to understand contributors to these differences and inform evidence‐based practices to support strong, healthy romantic bonds for all teens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interparental conflict is one of the primary risk factors for negative outcomes for children whose parents separate, and it is likely to be high while parents are separating. Results are mixed regarding the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing interparental conflict. This study examined co-parents who were court-ordered to attend a 12-hr co-parenting intervention and completed pre-postassessments (n = 20) and 2-month follow-up assessments (n = 17). The results demonstrated increases in co-parents' relationship functioning and confidence in co-parenting. Both men and women reported decreased amounts of conflict in the presence of their children; however, only women reported decreases in general negative communication with the co-parent. These changes were generally maintained at a 2-month follow-up assessment. These findings suggest that interventions for high-conflict co-parents may increase their ability to work cooperatively. (Contains 1 figure, 3 tables, and 2 notes.)

This longitudinal study followed 120 cohabiting, opposite-sex couples over 8 months to test hypotheses derived from commitment theory about how two types of commitment (dedication and constraint) operate during cohabitation. In nearly half the couples, there were large differences between partners in terms of dedication. These differences were associated with lower relationship adjustment, even controlling for overall level of dedication. Furthermore, among couples who believed in the institution of marriage, cohabiting women were, on average, more dedicated than their partners. Additionally, there was evidence that constraints (e.g., signing a lease, having a joint bank account) make it less likely that couples think they will break up, regardless of relationship dedication. This finding was strongest for women and for those with higher income levels. (Contains 3 tables and 2 notes.)

The overarching aim of this article is to review the research on relationship education programs and approaches that has been published or accepted for publication since the last review article in 2003. This article provides a critical overview of the relationship education field and sets an agenda for research and practice for the next decade. A theme weaved throughout the article is the ways in which relationship education is similar and different from couples therapy, and we conclude that there can be a synergistic, healthy marriage between the two. We then provide recommendations for future directions for research in the relationship education field. Finally, the coauthors comment on our experiences in both the relationship education field and the couples therapy field as both researchers and interventionists.

The Commitment Inventory measures interpersonal commitment (dedication) and constraint commitment. Since it was first published, substantial revisions have been made, but there are no published data on the psychometric properties of the new version. Furthermore, little information is available on measuring commitment for unmarried couples. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Commitment Inventory in 320 premarital or cohabiting couples (N = 640). Dyadic confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the hypothesized factor structure of six constraint subscales and one dedication subscale fit the data well for both men and women. Internal consistency coefficients were within acceptable range for most subscales. Within-couple correlations as well as correlations between subscales and with relationship quality, negative communication, and religiosity are presented. Implications for future research are discussed. (Contains 5 tables and 2 notes.)

Using a multistate sample of marriages that took place in the 1990s, this study examined associations between premarital cohabitation history and marital quality in first (N = 437) and second marriages (N = 200) and marital instability in first marriages (intact N = 521, divorced N = 124). For first marriages, cohabiting with the spouse without first being engaged or married was associated with more negative interaction, higher self-reported divorce proneness, and a greater probability of divorce compared to cohabiting after engagement or marriage (with patterns in the same direction for marital positivity). In contrast, there was a general risk associated with premarital cohabitation for second marriages on self-reported indices of marital quality, with or without engagement when cohabitation began.

This study uses a new measure to examine how different types of reasons for cohabitation are associated with individual well-being and relationship quality in a sample of 120 cohabiting heterosexual couples (N = 240). Spending more time together and convenience are the most strongly endorsed reasons. The degree to which individuals report cohabiting to test their relationships is associated with more negative couple communication and more physical aggression as well as lower relationship adjustment, confidence, and dedication. Testing the relationship is also associated with higher levels of attachment insecurity and more symptoms of depression and anxiety. Men are more likely than women to endorse testing their relationships and less likely to endorse convenience as a reason for cohabiting. (Contains 3 tables, 1 figure and 3 notes.)

This study examined associations between parents' emotion coaching and emotional expressiveness, and adolescents' internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The sample included 131 16-year-olds and their mothers and fathers. Adolescents completed an open-ended interview about their parents' emotion coaching. Adolescents rated parents' negative emotional expressiveness, and parents and adolescents reported on adolescents' adjustment. Results indicated that mothers were more accepting and supportive of their children's expression of negative emotions than were fathers. Parents' coaching of emotions was associated with fewer adolescents' internalizing symptoms and was unrelated to their externalizing symptoms. Parents' negative emotional expressiveness was positively linked to adolescents' internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Parents' emotion coaching and negative emotional expressiveness explained unique variance in adolescents' internalizing symptoms. Results highlight the importance of the family's emotional climate for adolescents' well-being.

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Objective: This study explores whether household income moderates the predictive association from adaptive processes (positive and negative interactions and commitment), enduring vulnerabilities (psychological distress), and stressors (financial strain) to future relationship satisfaction? Background: Theory and research have long conceptualized socioeconomic status as a predictor of couple relations, but recent work questions whether socioeconomic status may moderate basic couple relationship processes. Method: This study used data from a U.S. national sample of 927 adults aged 18–34 years in a cohabiting (marital or nonmarital) different‐sex partnership (66% female; 22% non‐White; 47% earned a high school diploma or GED as their highest education credential) surveyed five times at 4‐ to 6‐month intervals. A series of latent curve models with structured residuals were used to examine between‐ and within‐person associations. Results: Robust between‐persons associations emerged consistent with prior literature (e.g., those with more positive and less negative interactions, higher commitment, lower psychological distress, and less financial strain reported higher relationship satisfaction). One robust longitudinal association emerged at the within‐person level: higher than typical negative interactions predicted intraindividual decreases in future relationship satisfaction. Within‐person associations were more evident in the cross‐section: at times when positive interactions and commitment were higher than one's own average and negative interactions and psychological distress were lower than average, relationship satisfaction was also higher than average. Income did not moderate any links with future relationship satisfaction. Conclusion: Results suggest that basic longitudinal processes in relationships operate consistently across income level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study investigated changes in couple, parenting, and individual functioning following participation in Family Expectations, a relationship and parenting education program for new or expectant parents. The sample comprised 339 couples who participated in most sessions of the Family Expectations program and completed assessments at three different time points over a 12‐month period. Study analyses examined: (a) change shortly following completion of the program, (b) associations between short‐term change and subsequent change in outcomes at 12‐month follow‐up, and (c) differences in short‐term change between married and unmarried couples. Significant improvements were observed in all three domains at short‐term follow‐up. Short‐term changes, particularly for psychological distress, were predictive of long‐term change in multiple domains. Few moderation effects by marital status were evident; those that appeared suggested stronger effects for married participants compared to unmarried. Study findings inform ongoing discussions into the utility of federally‐funded relationship and parenting programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual activity occurs among a large portion of young adults and adolescents, including high school students. While about 40% of high school students nationwide have engaged in sexual intercourse, more information is needed about how individual characteristics may relate to larger patterns of adolescent sexual behavior. This exploratory study utilized a latent class analysis (LCA) to identify clusters of high school students (N = 801) based on demographic characteristics, sexual refusal skills, healthy relationship skills, sociosexuality, internalizing symptoms, alcohol use, various forms of social support (i.e., parents, friends, teachers), and sexual activity at baseline to predict their sexual behavior at a 6-month follow-up. Four unique latent classes were identified based on these baseline predictors. Distinctions in the profiles of high schoolers varied significantly by internalizing symptoms, race/ethnicity, sexually conservative attitudes, and social support in the prediction of adolescent sexual activity at 6-months. This study contributes to the investigation of demographic, social, psychological, attitudinal, and behavioral factors that may distinguish high school students from one another in terms of their longitudinal rates of sexual activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]