Date of Graduation
12-2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education (PhD)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders
Advisor
David Christian
Committee Member
Kristin Higgins
Second Committee Member
Erin Popejoy
Third Committee Member
Ketevan Mamiseishvili
Keywords
Christian, Created for Connection, EFT, Emotionally Focused Therapy, faith-based programs, Marriage Enrichment, Marriage Relationships, Weekend Group
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of Created for Connection (CFC), a faith based marriage enrichment program on relationship satisfaction, adult attachment style and adult attachment behavior. This study further adds to the existing knowledge base related to faith-based programs delivered in an intensive weekend format (Johnson & Sanderfer, 2016). Participants were volunteers from the local community who identified as Christian. To ascertain the effectiveness of CFC, three self-report measures were administered at three different intervals: two weeks before the program, two weeks following the program and a six-week follow-up. I measured attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, attachment behaviors and relationship satisfaction. I compared results using four repeated measure ANOVAs. CFC did have a statistically significant effect on relationship satisfaction and on attachment avoidance. Previous literature highlights the need for research on this type of intervention as well as the importance of the marriage relationship (Anderson, 2014; Berger & Hannah, 2014; Cole & Cole, 1999; Markman & Rhoades, 2012; Worthington, Johnson, Hook, & Aten, 2013). This research offers some insights as to the effects of this program and also establishes a base from which further research can be done on CFC.
Citation
Imhoff, C. N. (2019). Created for Connection: The Impact of a Faith-Based Christian Marriage Enrichment Program. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/3526