Mechanisms of change in a cognitive behavioral couples prevention program: does being naughty or nice matter?

Although there is a body of evidence suggesting beneficial effects of premarital prevention, little research directly examines the mechanisms of effect. One study that examined changes in communication following training in the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) found that, although couples made the expected communication gains pre to post PREP, female gains in positive communication were paradoxically associated with worse, not better, outcomes (Schilling et al., J. Fam. Psychol. 17(1):41-53, 2003). Using two samples, the current investigation did not yield evidence of such an association. We discuss issues related to replication studies (e.g., failure to reject null hypotheses), challenges in analyzing and interpreting dyadic data, and implications for prevention.