DOI

https://doi.org/10.25772/M8RZ-6N74

Defense Date

1997

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Everett L. Worthington

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of contemporary couple enrichment using currently-accepted standards of meta-analytic research. Twenty-seven published studies that compared enrichment groups to control groups were included in the analyses. The overall mean effect size (0.32), post-treatment effect size (0.35), and follow-up effect size (0.35) for couple enrichment were heterogeneous, positive, and significantly different than 0. Mean effect sizes for both post-treatment and follow-up did not differ significantly, Moderator variables associated with program type, measure type, nature of dependent variable, quality of methodology, measure reactivity, measure specificity, and researcher allegiance significantly improved homogeneity across effect sizes, Effect sizes were significantly greater for behavioral measures, studies with higher methodological quality, measures tailored to treatment, and studies with high researcher allegiance. Other moderator variables -- date of publication, number of dependent variables and total program length -- were not significantly related to magnitude of effect size Limitations of the study were discussed and implications for future research and clinical practice were outlined.

Comments

Scanned, with permission from the author, from the original print version, which resides in University Archives.

Rights

© The Author

Is Part Of

VCU University Archives

Is Part Of

VCU Theses and Dissertations

Date of Submission

2-27-2018

Included in

Psychology Commons

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