Automated & Coached Web-based Programs to Improve and Strengthen Romantic Relationships

Web-based Marriage Preparation/Enrichment and Divorce Prevention for Low-Income Couples

This study investigates the effectiveness of self-help, web-based programs to improve romantic relationships and related outcomes. Couples will be randomly assigned to complete the OurRelationship program, the ePREP program, the OurRelationship program with the addition of a coach, the ePREP program with the addition of a coach, or a wait-list control group and followed for six months.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Relationship, Marital
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: ePREP Program; Behavioral: OurRelationship Program

Detailed Description

Nationwide, lower-income (LI) couples (those with household incomes <200% of the federal poverty level) - many of whom are also African American, Hispanic/Latino, or rural couples - face numerous challenges to their relationships. Chief amongst those challenges are: 1) higher risk of relationship problems and 2) lack of access to effective relationship services to prevent or intervene with relationship distress. Compared to higher-income couples, LI married and cohabiting couples are significantly more likely to divorce or separate and report lower relationship quality. Unfortunately, LI couples are least likely to receive interventions to prevent or solve relationship problems. To overcome these barriers, we propose to test the effectiveness of two effective web-based curricula - OurRelationship and PREP Online.

A total of 1,246 LI couples will be recruited nationwide and randomly assigned to the ePREP program, the OurRelationship program, the ePREP program plus a coach, the OurRelationship program plus a coach, or a wait-list control group and followed for six months. Once randomly assigned to group, couples will be assessed at one month, two months, four months, and six months following randomization. After couples randomized to the wait-list control group finish their waiting period, they will be able to select the program they would like to complete (OurRelationship or ePREP) but will not complete research assessments during or following their participation in the program.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 2500
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Florida
    • Coral Gables, Florida, United States, 33146
      • University of Miami

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 64 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. They are married, engaged, or have been cohabiting with their partner for at least six months
2. They are both located in the United States
3. Both partners are willing to participate in the study
4. Both partners are between the ages of 18 and 64 (inclusive)
5. Couples report a household income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Severe domestic violence
2. Inadequate internet connection
3. Previous participation in OR, PREP-O, in-person PREP, or its variants
4. Current participation in other relationship programs
5. Current participation in an evaluation funded by Administration for Children and Families

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Sequential Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

5

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: ePREP Program; The ePREP program is based on the in-person Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program. The ePREP program consists of six sections of material. In each section, new information and skills are presented, videos demonstrate real couples practicing the skills, participants are encouraged to discuss the information in the context of their own relationship, and a multiple choice quiz reiterates and summarizes the section. In addition to the core educational materials, couples are asked to complete six additional online and offline homework assignments (one per week), each lasting approximately one hour. Participants who do not complete activities in a timely manner will be re-randomized to either continue without a coach or to receive a coach.	Behavioral: ePREP Program; see arm descriptions
Experimental: ePREP Program plus Coach; The ePREP program is based on the in-person Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program. The ePREP program consists of six sections of material. In each section, new information and skills are presented, videos demonstrate real couples practicing the skills, participants are encouraged to discuss the information in the context of their own relationship, and a multiple choice quiz reiterates and summarizes the section. In addition to the core educational materials, couples are asked to complete six additional online and offline homework assignments (one per week), each lasting approximately one hour. Couples also have four, brief video or phone calls with a coach throughout the program.	Behavioral: ePREP Program; see arm descriptions
Experimental: OurRelationship Program; The OurRelationship program is based on Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy and encourages couples to select, understand, and solve a relationship problem. Partners complete the majority of the web-based program on their own and come together for three key conversations with their partner.Participants who do not complete activities in a timely manner will be re-randomized to either continue without a coach or to receive a coach.	Behavioral: OurRelationship Program; see arm descriptions
Experimental: OurRelationship Program plus Coach; The OurRelationship program is based on Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy and encourages couples to select, understand, and solve a relationship problem. Partners complete the majority of the web-based program on their own and come together for three key conversations with their partner. The first conversation between partners centers on discussing possible core relationship issues and jointly deciding on the problem(s) to focus on during the program. During the second conversation, both partners' previous written responses are displayed on the screen and conversation is encouraged. During the final conversation, couples share their strategies to decrease stress, improve patterns of communication, and engage in problem-solving exercises specific to their core issue(s). Couples also have four, brief video or phone calls with a coach throughout the program.	Behavioral: OurRelationship Program; see arm descriptions
No Intervention: Waitlist; Participants are assessed at 1, 2, 4, and 6 months after randomization; however, no active intervention is given during the waitlist period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Relationship Satisfaction	Four-item Couple Satisfaction Index (CSI) self-report measure. Range of scores 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.	Baseline, 2 months after baseline, and 6 months after baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Communication Conflict	7-item scale; self-report of communication conflict. Range of scores 7 to 28, with higher scores indicating greater conflict.	Baseline, 2 months after baseline, and 6 months after baseline
Relationship break-up potential	3-item self-report measure of likelihood of relationship ending in the near future. Range of scores 3 to 15, with higher scores indicating greater potential for the relationship to end.	Baseline, 2 months after baseline, and 6 months after baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Miami
• Collaborators: Children's Bureau - Administration for Children and Families
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Brian D Doss, Ph.D., PROFESSOR

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• To learn more about the study

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 7, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 10, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): September 10, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 6, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 15, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): June 26, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 14, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 10, 2020
• Last Verified: September 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 20160451-R

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: De-identified data will be provided to Administration for Children and Families to facilitate secondary data analyses.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: De-identified data provided to ACF within 6 months of study completion. De-identified data available to outside researchers 1.5 years after enrollment ends.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Available to researchers who have approval from their local IRB.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No