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Learning About Love: A Meta-Analytic Study of Individually-Oriented Relationship Education Programs for Adolescents and Emerging Adults

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Abstract

Despite recent policy initiatives and substantial federal funding of individually oriented relationship education programs for youth, there have been no meta-analytic reviews of this growing field. This meta-analytic study draws on 17 control-group studies and 13 one-group/pre-post studies to evaluate the effectiveness of relationship education programs on adolescents’ and emerging adults’ relationship knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Overall, control-group studies produced a medium effect (d = .36); one-group/pre-post studies also produced a medium effect (d = .47). However, the lack of studies with long-term follow-ups of relationship behaviors in the young adult years is a serious weakness in the field, limiting what we can say about the value of these programs for helping youth achieve their aspirations for healthy romantic relationships and stable marriages.

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Funding

Funding was provided by the School of Family Life, Brigham Young University.

Authors’ Contributions

D.S. participated in the design and coordination of the study, coding of studies, performed the statistical analyses, wrote several sections, and worked on final revisions; N.L. participated in the design and coordination of the study, coding of the studies, wrote several sections, and worked on the final revisions; A.H. conceived the study, participated in the design and coordination of the study, coding of the studies, helped with the writing of the manuscript, and was a final reviewer of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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  1. Brigham Young University, School of Family Life, 2086 JFSB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA

    David M. Simpson, Nathan D. Leonhardt & Alan J. Hawkins

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  1. David M. Simpson
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Correspondence to Alan J. Hawkins.

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Simpson, D.M., Leonhardt, N.D. & Hawkins, A.J. Learning About Love: A Meta-Analytic Study of Individually-Oriented Relationship Education Programs for Adolescents and Emerging Adults. J Youth Adolescence 47, 477–489 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0725-1

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