Abstract
When doubts creep in and marriages begin to falter, where do couples turn for assistance? In a longitudinal study of 213 couples over the first 5 years of marriage, results indicated relationship help-seeking was relatively common, with 36% of couples seeking some form of outside help during this period. Individual and relationship difficulties predicted increased use of relationship books and marital therapy in the following year; therefore, these behaviors appear to be important outlets for relationship assistance. In contrast, attending marriage retreats/workshops was related only to demographic variables. Results of the present study suggest that the most common types of relationship help-seeking by community couples are understudied and likely underutilized in the dissemination of empirically based marital interventions.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 18-29 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Journal of Marital and Family Therapy |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
- Sociology and Political Science