Barton Allen W, Beach Steven R H, Lavner Justin A, Bryant Chalandra M, Kogan Steven M, Brody Gene H
Center for Family Research, University of Georgia.
Department of Psychology, University of Georgia.
J Marriage Fam. 2017 Oct;79(5):1450-1461. doi: 10.1111/jomf.12416. Epub 2017 May 31.
Enhancing communication as a means of promoting relationship quality has been increasingly questioned, particularly for couples at elevated sociodemographic risk. In response, the current study investigated communication change as a mechanism accounting for changes in relationship satisfaction and confidence among 344 rural, predominantly low-income African American couples with an early adolescent child who participated in a randomized controlled trial of the Protecting Strong African American Families (ProSAAF) program. Approximately 9 months after baseline assessment, intent-to-treat analyses indicated ProSAAF couples demonstrated improved communication, satisfaction, and confidence compared with couples in the control condition. Improvements in communication mediated ProSAAF effects on relationship satisfaction and confidence; conversely, neither satisfaction nor confidence mediated intervention effects on changes in communication. These results underscore the short-term efficacy of a communication-focused, culturally sensitive prevention program and suggest that communication is a possible mechanism of change in relationship quality among low-income African American couples.
将加强沟通作为提升关系质量的一种方式，这一点越来越受到质疑，尤其是对于处于较高社会人口学风险中的夫妻而言。作为回应，当前研究调查了沟通变化这一机制，该机制解释了344对农村的、主要为低收入非裔美国家庭（家中有一名青春期早期孩子）的关系满意度和信心变化，这些家庭参与了“保护强大非裔美国家庭”（ProSAAF）项目的随机对照试验。在基线评估大约9个月后，意向性分析表明，与对照组的夫妻相比，参与ProSAAF项目的夫妻在沟通、满意度和信心方面均有改善。沟通的改善介导了ProSAAF项目对关系满意度和信心的影响；相反，满意度和信心均未介导干预对沟通变化的影响。这些结果强调了一个以沟通为重点、具有文化敏感性的预防项目的短期效果，并表明沟通可能是低收入非裔美国家庭关系质量变化的一种机制。
