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Healthy Marriage Initiative

Healthy Marriage Initiative. Kim Allen Director, Center for Adolescent Sexuality, Pregnancy and Parenting Associate State Extension Specialist. Research on marriage. Research on marriage shows that the interaction between couples is predictive of outcomes

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Healthy Marriage Initiative

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  1. Healthy Marriage Initiative Kim Allen Director, Center for Adolescent Sexuality, Pregnancy and Parenting Associate State Extension Specialist

  2. Research on marriage • 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

  3. Help for couples • 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.

  4. Stanley and Markman (2002) • 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

  5. Communication • Skills to develop a safe place, emotionally and physically, to talk about problems will help couples succeed. • Speaker-listener technique

  6. Stanley & Markman (1997) • Based on this data, the Stanley & Markman created a program to help couples improve their relationship. • Preventing marital distress and divorce • is a positive move for families and individuals • Must focus on factors that all couples have control over

  7. “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." • Scott Stanley

  8. The ACF website states: • 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.

  9. National Marriage Initiative • The Federal Government • New focus on healthy marriages • $750m in grants over 5 years • http://www.midwin.org/presentations/What%20Marriage%20Education%20Is%20Is%20Not.pdf

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. Oklahoma • First state-wide initiative for healthy marriage • Free marriage and pre-marriage classes for anyone • Multidisciplinary approach • http://www.okmarriage.org/index.asp

  13. Oklahoma Survey • Gathered data to identify best strategies • Goals: • Reduce divorce rate • Reduce out of wedlock births • Reduce alcohol and drug addiction • Reduce child abuse and neglect

  14. Oklahoma Survey • Method • 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

  15. Low Income • Low income perceptions are very different than non-low income… • Any ideas why? • Any repercussions for marriage of low-income families?

  16. Alabama • 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.pdf

  17. Missouri • Springfield: Ozarks Marriage Matters • St. Louis Healthy Marriage Initiative • Extension Educators trained in PREP • Possible collaboration of multidisciplinary groups in progress

  18. 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

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