Symposium 19 - New horizons of digital relationship research: Expanding methods, reach, and application

Chair(s)

• EG

  Emily Georgia Salivar, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

  Assistant Professor
  Nova Southeastern University
  Delray Beach, Florida

Discussant(s)

• SB

  Scott Braithwaite, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

  Brigham Young University
  Provo, Utah

Presenter(s)

• 

  McKenzie Roddy, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

  Research Assistant Professor
  Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  Nashville, Tennessee
• AH

  Alexia Hirlemann, M.S. (she/her/hers)

  Nova Southeastern University
  Miami, Florida
• 

  Tea Trillingsgaard, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

  Associate Professor
  Aarhus University
  Aarhus C, Midtjylland, Denmark
• SG

  Shayna Guttman, MS (she/her/hers)

  Graduate Student
  University of Miami
  Coral Gables, Florida
• GH

  Gabe Hatch, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

  Graduate Student
  Not Affiliated
  Orem, Utah

When functioning well, romantic relationships provide a source of joy, support, and a protective barrier against a myriad of stressors. However, research suggests many couples are clinically-distressed and support is difficult to access, especially among marginalized communities. Luckily, developments over the past decade have focused on more accessible couple interventions. One example is the OurRelationship (OR) Program - a brief, digitally delivered, self-guided, coach-assisted couples intervention demonstrating immediate and long-term efficacy across multiple large-scale, nationwide, controlled trials in relationship and individual functioning, coparenting, and child adjustment improvements. The presentations in this symposium describe new methods, applications, and expanded reach of OR - including cross-cultural applications and understudied, at-risk populations to ensure joy can be cultivated in multiple romantic relationships across a variety of contexts. 

The first two presentations address pressing questions to better understand and ultimately deliver the OR program in new and diverse populations. The first presentation, recognizing that the reach of OR may be limited by the need for paraprofessional support, especially in lower resource contexts, tests varying levels of coach support. Findings show that multiple versions had completion rates and effect sizes that would lead to a significant population-level impact. The second study applies the first ever qualitative examination of OR, providing descriptive summaries of a diverse series of couples completing the program. This presentation includes both specific program responses as well as experiences within coach appointments to highlight the ways the program can be customized for couples’ unique situations. The third and fourth studies extend the OR program to previously unreached populations. The third presentation describes a randomized controlled pilot of OR among distressed Danish couples. Importantly, this presentation includes a description of engagement with stakeholders to ensure appropriate translation and implementation, as well as outcome and satisfaction data, variations in effectiveness by recruitment channels, and comparison to a bibliotherapy control condition. The fourth presentation describes the implementation of the individual version of the OR program within jails wherein incarcerated individuals, interested in strengthening their relationships during their period of incarceration, reported strong satisfaction with the program. The fifth and final presentation extends the application of the OR program to couples in conflict over pornography use, highlighting the program’s effectiveness with a particularly challenging presenting problem. 

Presentations in this symposia highlight the continued efforts to ensure quality delivery of an evidence-based digital intervention for couples to ensure all can access help for their romantic relationships. Presenters address the need for continued attention to novel methodologies and implementation strategies, utilizing community engagement, and connection to at-risk populations.