title: Alliance and group cohesion in relationship education.
abstract: Relationship education programs have been shown as an effective way to increase relationship functioning. There is less known about how process factors, such as alliance with the leader or group dynamics, affect outcomes in these interventions. We examined group cohesion and alliance with the leader in a relationship education program tailored for individuals. Specifically, we examined whether participants' ratings (n = 126) of the group cohesion and alliance with the leader were associated with changes in relationship adjustment, relationship confidence, and communication quality from pre- to postintervention. The results demonstrated that participants' perceptions of the cohesion among the members in their relationship education group, but not the leader-participant alliance, made a significant contribution to the changes in participants' relationship functioning. These results suggest that the group dynamics among the members in the group are important ingredients in relationship education. Implications for relationship programs are provided.
authors.affiliation: Education and Counseling Psychology Department, College of Education & Human Development, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY.
authors.forename: Jesse
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Owen
authors.forename: Becky
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Antle
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making; D054541:Family Conflict / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006127:Group Structure; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008388:Marital Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology*; D017008:Negotiating; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D012933:Social Identification; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Alliance; Group Cohesion; PREP; Relationship Education