|
Clinical Assistant Professor Anne Jones has received a $2.5 million grant to help low-income unmarried expectant or new parents strengthen their relationships .
The five-year project will help unwed couples build the necessary skills to form and sustain a healthy relationship, said Anne Jones, clinical assistant professor in the UNC School of Social Work. The relationship-building program also seeks to improve childhood outcomes by teaching parenting skills and linking couples to community services.
Researchers in the UNC School of Social Work, led by Jones, will partner with the Durham County Health Department and Cooperative Extension Service to implement the program and evaluate its effectiveness. Recruitment of couples will begin in January 2007.
One-third of all children born in the U.S. are born to unwed parents, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The majority of unwed parents are romantically involved at the time of birth, and have high hopes for a future together, said Jones. “Unfortunately, many of these relationships dissolve within a year,” she said.
The UNC team hopes to recruit more than 550 low-income unmarried couples from Durham County for participation in the project. Each couple will be expecting their first child or will be new parents to their first child together. Participation in the program is voluntary and does not affect public benefits and other government services.
The researchers will compare the outcomes of couples who participate in the program to couples who receive routine maternal care through the Durham County Health Department and Cooperative Extension Service.
Research on unmarried parents and on factors that predict marital satisfaction and stability have identified key behaviors and skills that help couples to sustain healthy relationships. Based on this research some expected outcomes include increased levels of relationship satisfaction and communication skills; improved conflict resolution and problem solving abilities; sexual fidelity; and increased levels of gender trust, fatherhood involvement, infant care skills and positive attitudes toward marriage.
If you work with couples and would like to learn how to refer a couple to participate in this study, please contact Anne Jones at (919) 962-6537 or annejone@email.unc.edu.
|
