Main Items in this Issue:
Are Our Premarital Programs Adequately Recognising the Role of Life Stress? The last processing day will be Wednesday 15th December 2004 and the office will re-open on January 4th 2005. SEASON'S GREETING The staff of Prepare-Enrich would like to thank you all for your work with us in 2004 and hope that you will have a blessed Christmas-time and a great New Year. ARE PREMARITAL PROGRAMS REACHING COUPLES AT RISK? In two studies conducted in the USA by Keiran Sullivan and Thomas Bradbury (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1997, 65, 24-30) newlyweds reported whether they had participated in premarital counseling and provided data on known risk factors for marital dysfunction. It was found that couples participating in premarital programs were not at greater risk for marital difficulties, and in some cases participating husbands were at lower risk for marital difficulties compared with husbands who did not participate. It appeared that couples participating in preparation programs were mostly already in “good shape” and that couples most likely to gain great benefits are not participating in these programs. The authors suggested that there is a need to develop procedures that will increase at-risk couples' participation in premarital programs and to improve the effectiveness of these programs in community settings. The authors comment that if “…participating couples are at lower risk for later marital difficulties, compared with couples who do not participate, this would indicate that resources are being devoted to many couples who may have satisfying marriages even without premarital counseling and that methods for recruiting relatively high-risk couples might be needed. However, if participating couples are at higher risk for marital difficulties, compared with couples who do not participate, widespread dissemination of the existing programs that are known to be effective would be warranted.” Sullivan and Bradbury suggest that:
· It would be valuable, as a first step in recruiting high-risk couples, to make the availability of effective programs widely known. It is noteworthy that in Australia, of 520 premarital couples recently studied closely in Alan Craddock’s booklet Origins: Family Experiences of Premarital Couples, just over 31% were classified as conflicted couples. Even though it is troubling that such a large proportion of Prepare couples in the sample are experiencing a high degree of difficulty just prior to their marriage, it is encouraging that they are actually participating in a program that can be helpful to them. Our Prepare Administrators seem to be doing a good job of reaching higher risk couples. But can we do more to reach the higher-risk couples? It is also important to recognise that even couples who might be regarded as low-risk may not necessarily remain that way if their circumstances change, and that participating in a Prepare program can provide them with the attitudes and resources they will need to maintain their relationship quality in the future. This raises another important question. ARE OUR PREMARITAL PROGRAMS ADEQUATELY RECOGNISING THE ROLE OF LIFE STRESS? This issue is emphasized in one of Thomas Bradbury’s more recent studies (Understanding and altering the longitudinal course of marriage. Journal of Marriage and Family, 2004, 66, 863, with Benjamin Karney as co-author.). One of the central themes in this paper is the need to recognise the central role of chronic and acute stressful circumstances in influencing fluctuations in partners’ judgments of relationship quality. They use a wonderful quotation to make their point that the impact of life stress must not be ignored as we work with couples: "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if
you live near him"
So it is (write Bradbury and Karney) with stress and relationships. Bradbury and Karney suggest that their view has four implications for designing interventions intended to strengthen developing marriages.
· For couples who do participate in premarital programs, the environments in which they reside may hinder uptake of the intervention itself. For example, unusual work schedules, long hours of work at physically demanding jobs, shared or stressful living arrangements, and many other factors might interfere with couples' abilities to learn and practice intervention exercises. · After completion of a premarital program, stressful events and circumstances may conspire against any benefits that were gained. · Contextual variables themselves could become a target in our programs. This might be achieved by helping couples understand and counteract the effects of stress on their relationship either generally or in anticipation of a particular stressor (e.g., the transition to parenthood, job loss, relocation). A simple strategy is to start by helping couples to identify necessary changes and how they might help one another to make changes to their…
NUMBERS OF AUSTRALIAN COUPLES NOT HAVING CHILDREN ARE LIKELY TO INCREASE The 2001-2026 issue of Household and Family Projections, Australia, 2001-2026 (Australian Bureau of Statistics - Cat. no. 3236.0) was released in June, 2004. Some of the findings include:
· The number of children of all ages living in two-parent families is projected to decrease to between 4.4 and 4.9 million in 2026 (from 5.0 million in 2001), while the number living with one parent is projected to increase to between 1.4 and 2.1 million in 2026 (up from 1.3 million children in 2001). TRAINING MATTERS
We welcome Helen Lockwood (Lutheran Community Care) to the role of Trainer. Helen will be joining with Elizabeth Alvey in providing Training in South Australia. Welcome Helen, and many thanks for taking up this role. Queensland
For a current list of Training Days throughout Australia go to: For a current list of Skills Development programs that are available go to: TELL A COLLEAGUE ABOUT PREPAREDo you know anyone among your colleagues who might be interested in becoming a PREPARE-ENRICH Administrator? Over the years we have grown mainly by word-of-mouth publicity. This is gratifying to us since it shows we are providing a useful resource. Please let your colleagues know about PREPARE-ENRICH and tell them about
our website (www.prepare-enrich.com.au). By clicking on the training link
on the Administrators' homepage they can locate a workshop or find contact
details for a Trainer in their area, and can read information about all
the PREPARE materials and resources.
At the beginning of each month we place a brief (usually one page) article on our website focusing on a matter or theme that is likely to be helpful to PREPARE-ENRICH administrators. Sometimes this is a brief summary of relevant research, sometimes a practical suggestion, and sometimes a way of thinking about couples' issues. It is good to get into the habit of reading these monthly hints. The current hint, and an archive of all the hints posted in previous months, can be accessed from the Administrators' main page. News item updates are also included. ORIGINS OF CONFLICTED COUPLES - AN AUSTRALIAN STUDY The experience of family of origin is an important area for investigation among couples taking PREPARE. Dr Alan Craddock (National Coordinator of PREPARE-ENRICH Australia and Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology, The University of Sydney) has recently completed a small booklet called Origins: Family Experiences of Premarital Couples. This booklet, written solely for PREPARE-ENRICH Administrators, is based on an analysis of 520 Australian couples who have taken PREPARE and has three main aims: 1. To identify and explore the main differences between highly satisfied (vitalised) and more troubled (conflicted) premarital couples. 2. To examine the differences in family background of vitalised versus conflicted premarital couples in the National sample. Of major interest is any link between negative experiences within family of origin in the past (separateness, rigidity and exposure to abuse) and present difficulties in couple relationship. 3. To explore the practical implications of these findings, particularly when working with conflicted premarital couples. General strategies for working with conflicted couples are also described. The cost is only $12 and this includes postage and GST.
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