Conversations for Connection: An Outcome Assessment of the Hold‐Me‐Tight Relationship‐Education Program, and Recommendations for Improving Future Research Methodology in Relationship Education

The Hold Me Tight (HMT) program is a new approach to relationship education based on Emotionally‐Focused Therapy (Johnson, 2004), an evidence‐based approach to couple therapy. In this exploratory longitudinal research, we examined individual growth in relationship satisfaction and trust for partners...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of marital and family therapy 2019-07, Vol.45 (3), p.431-446
Main Authors: Kennedy, Nikki, Johnson, Susan M., Wiebe, Stephanie A., Willett, John B., Tasca, Giorgio A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Communication
Couples Therapy - methods
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Psychological Tests
Treatment Outcome
Trust
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Summary:The Hold Me Tight (HMT) program is a new approach to relationship education based on Emotionally‐Focused Therapy (Johnson, 2004), an evidence‐based approach to couple therapy. In this exploratory longitudinal research, we examined individual growth in relationship satisfaction and trust for partners in 95 couples in 16 HMT groups across four occasions of measurement: Baseline, Pre‐Program, Post‐Program and at either 3‐ or 6‐month Follow‐Up. We found that relationship satisfaction and trust increased during program participation, and declined during follow‐up. We believe our findings provide support for the short‐term effectiveness of the HMT program, and suggest a longer period of program delivery may result in improved retention of gains. Finally, we present recommendations for improving the design of future longitudinal research in relationship education.
ISSN:0194-472X
1752-0606
DOI:10.1111/jmft.12356