Effectiveness of the Gottman Seven Principles Couple Enhancement Program

What is it about?

The Gottman Seven Principles Couple Enhancement Program (G7P) is designed to help individuals and couples strengthen their bond and develop healthier relationships. Based on John Gottman and Nan Silver’s book, “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work,” it emphasizes mutual understanding, admiration, and conflict resolution. Research has shown that the program's effectiveness can vary depending on characteristics like gender, socioeconomic background, initial commitment level, facilitator’s expertise, and mode of instruction (in person or online). To gain a deeper understanding, researchers from Norway recruited 490 participants enrolled in 23 different G7P courses and 242 controls, assessing the quality of relationships to evaluate the program's effectiveness. The study focused on couples experiencing significant relationship distress and considered the influence of the participant's gender, instructor's background, and mode of delivery on the program’s outcomes. The G7P group comprised 490 participants aged 18–81 years, whereas the control group included 242 individuals (121 couples) aged 18–78 years. Both groups were well matched in terms of age, gender, relationship duration, number of children, and combined income. The G7P courses were led by instructors trained at the Gottman Institute, but only 62% had a clinical background. The researchers assessed couple satisfaction using the revised dyadic adjustment scale (RDAS), a questionnaire designed to assess the quality and satisfaction of relationships between partners. Participants completed the RDAS at three points: before the course, immediately after it, and six months later. Results revealed that couples who participated in G7P experienced improvements in their relationships, whereas non-participants did not. Couples who were initially in the clinical range of RDAS showed the most significant improvement at follow-up. This trend was observed regardless of whether the course was delivered digitally or in person and was not dependent on the instructor's background. Some individuals who usually seek help from couple therapists experienced such significant improvements during the course that they achieved complete recovery. Furthermore, the positive effects of the course were evident even six months after it ended. These findings suggest that G7P can be a valuable tool for couples experiencing relationship distress. They also provide insights for making relationship education programs more accessible and effective for couples worldwide.

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Why is it important?

The quality of couple relationships are important for the wellbeing of humans and G7P has been found to be effective to strengthen and improve couple relationships. That it is equally effective when delivered online as in ordinary physical settings is promising.

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