Factors Associated with Romantic Relationship Self-Efficacy Following Youth-Focused Relationship Education

Objective To explore how youths' perceived relationship self-efficacy following relationship education may vary on the basis of program and youth characteristics. Background Youth-focused relationship education has been shown to promote attitudes and behaviors that foster healthy romantic relationships. Yet little is known about the factors associated with variations in these program outcomes. Method Using data collected from a convenience sample of 1,076 youth who participated in the Love U2: Relationship Smarts Plus program, structural equation models and multiple group analysis using chi-square difference tests were examined to assess whether and how various program and youth characteristics are associated with relationship self-efficacy. Results Youths' romantic relationship self-efficacy was greater when programming was offered within a week or weekly versus monthly, after school rather than in-school, and whether participants were female and had previous dating experiences. Several demographic factors (e.g., race, sex) moderated the influence of programmatic and individual characteristics on self-efficacy. Conclusion Variability exists in how relationship and marriage education programs are implemented in uncontrolled real-world settings. Our findings suggest that program outcomes may also vary on the basis of certain youth and program characteristics. Implications Practitioners should carefully consider how the tailoring of program content and delivery to meet the needs of diverse audiences maintains program fidelity and can potentially influence program outcomes.