Fortifying Military Relationships Through Stronger Families: A Program Evaluation Study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine if the OXYGEN marital enrichment program had any potential benefits on marital quality within active duty military couples. Marital quality was assessed before and after the OXYGEN seminar by measuring participant relationship satisfaction, relationship dedication, and satisfaction with sacrifice. Additionally, participants were asked to complete program evaluation ratings in a posttest survey. There were 27 participants (13 male, 14 female). Data were analyzed via a one sample t test to determine if there were any differences in relationship satisfaction, satisfaction with sacrifice, and dedication across two different time periods (T0 and T1). Results indicated changes from pre- to post-test on measures of couple satisfaction, relationship dedication, and satisfaction with sacrifice were not statistically significant. A linear regression analysis was used to determine whether satisfaction with the seminar was related to changes in relationship satisfaction and relationship dedication. The seminar satisfaction rating was not predictive of relationship satisfaction or dedication scores after controlling for biological sex and pretest relationship satisfaction scores. Limitations of the study included a small participant pool, lack of a control group, and only using self-report measures to assess relationship quality. Most research on psychoeducational relationship classes has focused on heterosexual and married couples; this study’s participant pool is reflective of that. Further studies are needed to determine generalizability of existing research to nonheterosexual, nonmarried relationships (e.g., cohabitating couples, polyamorous relationships, and couples in the LGBT community).