Prevention of Divorce: Results of a 25-Year Follow-Up Study

Background:Divorce and destructive couple conflict are major risk factors for many forms of dysfunction and psychopathology in the family. Couple relationship education has been offered in an attempt to reduce those risks and enhance couple outcomes. Aim:The current effectiveness study had three aims: to assess the 25-year outcome of relationship education on (a) separation, (b) long-term marital quality, and (c) usage of the EPL speaker and listener rules. Method:Ninety-six premarital couples, in 1988, participated in a study in which the effectiveness of the EPL I (Ein Partnerschaftliches Lernprogramm für heiratswillige Paare [A Learning Program for Premarital Couples]) was investigated. n= 64 couples self-selected to participate in the EPL I, n= 32 were part of the control group (CG). The couples were assessed prior to and after the EPL I, and 1.5, 3, 5, and 25 years later. Results:After 5 and 25 years, EPL I participants had a significantly lower divorce rate (4%/5%) than participant couples in the comparison group (24%/26%). Approximately 60% of the partners indicated that they still used the EPL communication speaker and listener skills often/very often in everyday life. Over 98% would recommend the EPL training to other couples. At the 25-year follow-up, for those couples still together, the rates of happy relationships were 83% (EPL) and 72% (CG). Over 25 years, there were no significant differences between EPL and CG partners with regard to relationship quality (Locke-Wallace MAT). Conclusion:These findings are the first to show that couple relationship enhancement (CRE) interventions can have a very long-lasting effect on relationship stability. CRE interventions should play a major role in public health.