How Universal Couple - focused Prevention During the Transition to Parenthood Impact Family Dissolution

This study examined the effects of three couple-focused prevention programs, universally delivered to all couples during the transition to parenthood (TtP), on the rate of family dissolution. Couple-focused prevention programs, such as relationship education, were developed as universal interventions aimed at all couples within a defined population and were argued to reduce the risk of family dissolution. Such prevention efforts might be particularly important for couples during the TtP, as they are at risk of declining relationship satisfaction while adapting to their new roles as parents. To increase statistical power compared to existing studies, we combined data from three couple-focused prevention programs (N = 2,131 couples) that were randomized to either an intervention or care as usual. Survey data were combined with high-quality administrative data from the Danish national registers on family dissolution. Intention-to-treat analyses showed that couples assigned to the prevention programs did not have a lower probability of family dissolution across four years following treatment compared to couples receiving care as usual. We also found that couple-focused prevention programs did not reduce the probability of divorce more for high-risk couples experiencing relationship distress and low socioeconomic status. Although universal couple-focused interventions were argued to reduce the rate of family dissolution, this study suggests that such programs do not reduce this risk among parents in general or among a subsample of high-risk parents during the transition to parenthood.