Healthy Marriage Initiative
Kim Allen
Director, Center for Adolescent Sexuality,
Pregnancy and Parenting
Associate State Extension Specialist
Research on marriage
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Research on marriage shows that
the interaction between couples is
predictive of outcomes
Couples who exhibited negative
reciprocity, poor affect management
and withdrawal during conflict
where most likely to be in trouble
Help for couples
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Psychosocial programs are available
to assist couples in relationship
enhancement.
Prevention programs that reduce
risk factors and increase protective
factors is gaining in popularity.
These programs raise relationship
awareness, foster change in
attitudes and beliefs, and teach
skills.
Stanley and Markman (2002)
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Communication, conflict and
commitment are fundamental to
relationship success
Negative communication is linked
with lower relationship satisfaction
and higher rates of divorce
Negative communication is linked
with thoughts and talk of divorce
Communication
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Skills to develop a safe place,
emotionally and physically, to talk
about problems will help couples
succeed.
Speaker-listener technique
Stanley & Markman (1997)
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Based on this data, the Stanley &
Markman created a program to help
couples improve their relationship.
Preventing marital distress and
divorce
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is a positive move for families and
individuals
Must focus on factors that all couples
have control over

“The best things people take from a
marriage education course are how
to talk without fighting, how to
open up and share, how to put on
the brakes when anger begins, and
how to come back to the
conversation in a safe, constructive
way, and, they'll have increased
confidence in their relationship."
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Scott Stanley
The ACF website states:
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Background
In 1996 Congress made the
following findings:
Marriage is the foundation of a
successful society.
Marriage is an essential institution
of a successful society which
promotes the interests of children.
National Marriage Initiative

The Federal Government

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New focus on healthy marriages
$750m in grants over 5 years
http://www.midwin.org/presentations/
What%20Marriage%20Education%20Is
%20Is%20Not.pdf
NMI Activities

Healthy marriage promotion awards
must be used for eight specified
activities, including marriage
education, marriage skills
training, public advertising
campaigns, high school education
on the value of marriage and
marriage mentoring programs.
Activities, cont.

Not more than $50 million each
year may be used for activities
promoting fatherhood, such as
counseling, mentoring, marriage
education, enhancing relationship
skills, parenting, and activities to
foster economic stability.
Oklahoma
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First state-wide initiative for healthy
marriage
Free marriage and pre-marriage
classes for anyone
Multidisciplinary approach
http://www.okmarriage.org/index.a
sp
Oklahoma Survey


Gathered data to identify best
strategies
Goals:


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Reduce
Reduce
Reduce
Reduce
divorce rate
out of wedlock births
alcohol and drug addiction
child abuse and neglect
Oklahoma Survey

Method
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
Telephone interview to 2,323 randomly
selected adults and 303 randomly
selected Medicaid clients
Data collected, analyzed and used to
develop comprehensive understanding
of Oklahoma attitudes toward
relationships and marriage
Low Income

Low income perceptions are very
different than non-low income…

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Any ideas why?
Any repercussions for marriage of lowincome families?
Alabama
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Healthy couples, healthy children
project: State-wide program
including $1m HDFS grant to
provide education to parents and
youth on healthy relationships
http://www.aces.edu/users/adlerfr/
/Alabama%20Activities%202005.pd
f
Missouri
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Springfield: Ozarks Marriage
Matters
St. Louis Healthy Marriage Initiative
Extension Educators trained in PREP
Possible collaboration of
multidisciplinary groups in progress
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Kim Allen, Director
Center on Adolescent Sexuality,
Pregnancy and Parenting
Associate State Specialist
University of MO Extension
303 Gentry Hall
Columbia, MO 65211
573-884-0644
allenki@missouri.edu