Differences in Relational Distress Following RE Intervention for Low-Income Couples With or Without Chronic Illness

Abstract

With a sample of 2,118 largely low-income, ethnic minority individuals with and without chronic illness (CI), this study examines couple-oriented relationship education (RE) on emotional distress levels. We applied a correlational research design to examine dyadic changes in distress following a couple RE intervention with a one-group pretest-posttest design. Female participants reported higher relationship distress at baseline. Both females and males showed significant improvement in distress post-RE intervention (Wilks’ λ =.93, F (1, 669) = 79.49, p < .001, η²= .08); women showed greater improvements at the end of the RE intervention, despite posttest relational distress still being greater than men. The CI group did not benefit more than the non-CI group suggesting further investigation regarding changes in distress post-RE for couples with CI. Counselors may find couple-oriented RE intervention useful to promote relational health in those with CI or as part of a holistic health intervention.

Keywords:

• Relationship education
• relationship distress
• chronic illness

Additional information

Funding

The data collected for this manuscript was supported by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, grant: 90FM0039-01-00. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of US DHHS, Office of Family Assistance.

Notes on contributors

Andrew P. Daire

Andrew P. Daire, Naomi J. Wheeler, and Rachel A. Regal are in the Department of Counseling and Special Education, and Xun Liu is in the Department of Educational Foundations, at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Kelsee Tucker

Kelsee Tucker and Brooke Williams are in the Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences at University of Houston.

Taylar Peoples

Taylar Peoples is in the Department of Epidemiology at Columbia University.

Teddy Moumouris

Teddy Moumouris is in the Department of Child, Family, and Community Sciences at the University of Central Florida.