Effects of individual-oriented relationship education on university students' knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes

This quasi-experimental, exploratory study adds important empirical research to the relatively new field of individual-oriented relationship education. It describes the extent to which specific relationship beliefs and attitudes are held, and evaluates the impact of an undergraduate, semester-long Intimate and Family Relationships course on these beliefs. Utilizing data collected over two semesters at the University of Montana, this study compared 356 student responses at the beginning and end of the semester on three separate scales designed to quantify select measures of specific constraint beliefs and attitudes: Attitudes About Romance and Mate Selection (AARMS), the Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ), and the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale-Short Form (IRMA-SF). Additionally, this study examined the mediating effects of several student background factors: parental divorce, gender, and parenting style on student responses to the educational experience. The researcher found significant results in the following areas: (a) gender differences with regards to the Love is Enough Cohabitation constraint beliefs, and rape myth acceptance; (b) differences on the Love is Enough constraint belief and rape myth acceptance between Adult Children of Divorce and non-Adult Children of Divorce; (c) differences between students who are in a relationship and those who are not, with regards to the One and Only constraint belief, and rape myth acceptance. The results are discussed in the context of exploring and understanding possible variables that may or may not impact relationship health, and may or may not be amendable to individually oriented relationship education. Limitations of the study, implications of the findings, and recommendations for future research are discussed

Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Consultations on Parent Stress and Competence

Parenting is a challenging activity and many parents report high stress and feelings of incompetence. Both of these factors (a) stress and (b) feelings of incompetence are associated with a variety of negative parenting outcomes. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a community-based, solution-focused, 2-session parent consultation intervention on parent perceptions of stress and competence. A pre-post quasi-experimental design was employed. Forty-five consecutive parents who sought consultation services were administered three preintervention questionnaires. Results included positive outcomes across all three outcome measures as well as high ratings on a satisfaction questionnaire. Although significant reductions in parenting stress and increased parenting self-efficacy were obtained, the study design and small and homogeneous sample limit generalization of these findings. Nevertheless, this study highlights the possibility that a straightforward, positive, brief, and community-based intervention may have the potential to decrease parental stress and increase parenting sense of competence