title: The Marriage Checkup: a randomized controlled trial of annual relationship health checkups.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study assessed the efficacy of the Marriage Checkup (MC) for improving relationship health and intimacy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohabiting married couples (N = 215, Mage women = 44.5 years, men = 47 years, 93.1% Caucasian) recruited from a northeastern U.S. metropolitan area through print and electronic media were randomly assigned to MC treatment or wait-list control. Treatment but not control couples participated in assessment and feedback visits, at the beginning of the study and again 1 year later. All couples completed 9 sets of questionnaires over 2 years. Outcome measures included the Quality of Marriage Index, the Global Distress subscale of the Marital Satisfaction Inventory-Revised, the Intimate Safety Questionnaire, and the Relational Acceptance Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A latent growth curve model indicated significant between-group differences in intimacy at every measurement point after baseline (d ranged from .20 to .55, Md = .37), significant between-group differences in women's felt acceptance for every measurement point after baseline (d ranged from .17 to .47, Md = .34), significant between-group differences in men's felt acceptance through the 1-year 2-week follow-up (d across follow-up ranged from .11 to .40, Md = .25), and significant between-group differences in relationship distress through 1-year 6-month follow-up (d across follow-up ranged from .11 to .39, Md = .23).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Longitudinal analysis of the MC supports the hypothesis that the MC significantly improves intimacy, acceptance, and satisfaction. Implications for dissemination are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Clark University.
authors.forename: James V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Cordova
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Clark University.
authors.forename: C J Eubanks
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Clark University.
authors.forename: Melinda Ippolito
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Morrill
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Clark University.
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hawrilenko
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Clark University.
authors.forename: Julia W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Sollenberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Habor-UCLA Medical Center.
authors.forename: Amanda G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Harp
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Clark University.
authors.forename: Tatiana D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Clark University.
authors.forename: Ellen V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Darling
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Clark University.
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Blair
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry.
authors.forename: Amy E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Meade
authors.affiliation: Psychological and Life Skills Association of Woodbridge.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wachs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D057566:Self Report; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States