Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Flexible Delivery Approaches To Couple Relationship Education: Predictors Of Initial Engagement And Retention Of Couples, Dean M. Busby, Jeffry H. Larson, Thomas B. Holman, W. Kim Halford

Faculty Publications

In this study, using a national recruitment strategy, we tested the different factors that influence retention in four different types of relationship education (RE), a self-directed book, assessment and feedback, and a six session Couple CARE program delivered by email or by phone. Of all the factors considered, required program effort, highly valuing marriage, religiosity, education, and step-family status were able to predict with seventy percent accuracy which couples would complete or not complete their RE experience. Program effort was substantially better at predicting retention than all other variables. Retention was high in the book and assessment conditions but was …