This report is a technical supplement to the 36-month impact report for the Building Strong Families (BSF) evaluation (Wood et al. 2012). It provides additional detail about the research design, analytic methods, and variable construction that were used for the 36-month analysis, as well as a discussion of the subgroup analysis that was conducted. Additionally, the report discusses the treatment-on-the-treated (TOT) impact analysis, an analysis of BSF’s effects on couples who actually attended BSF group sessions. The full set of impact results generated as part of the 36-month analysis is included in the appendices of this volume. Restricted use data files and documentation are available through the Inter-University Consortium of Political and Social Research. (author abstract)

The Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) evaluation was launched in 2003 to test the effectiveness of a skills-based relationship education program designed to help low-and modest-income married couples strengthen their relationships and to support more stable and more nurturing home environments and more positive outcomes for parents and their children. The evaluation was led by MDRC with Abt Associates and other partners, and it was sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This paper presents the results of an exploratory analysis that examines whether SHM program impacts vary by six subgroup-defining characteristics.

SHM was a voluntary, yearlong, marriage education program for lower-income, married couples who had children or were expecting a child. The program provided group workshops based on structured curricula; supplemental activities to build on workshop themes; and family support services to address participation barriers, connect families with other services, and reinforce curricular themes. The study’s random assignment design compared outcomes for families who were offered SHM’s services with outcomes for a similar group of families who were not offered SHM’s services but could access other services in the community.

The study’s main impact reports limited subgroup analysis to three potential moderators of impacts 12 months and 30 months after couples entered the study: couples’ level of marital distress, family income-­to-poverty level, and race/ethnicity. This paper explores whether the impacts of the SHM program on marital quality and stability outcomes differ according to six additional subgroup-defining characteris­tics at the 12-and 30-month follow-up points: (1) length of marriage at study entry, (2) experience of abuse or neglect in the family of origin, (3) psychological distress at study entry, (4) whether the extended family respects and values the couple’s marriage, (5) presence of a stepchild in the household, and (6) presence of a young child (under 3) in the household. (author abstract)

This brief, using qualitative data collected during the Hispanic Healthy Marriage Initiative Grantee Implementation Evaluation, describes the adaptations and refinements undertaken by study sites to make their services more culturally responsive to address the backgrounds and life circumstances of people of different cultural, racial, ethnic, or socio-economic backgrounds. The adaptations included addressing issues of language, diversity, racism, and immigration, and incorporating cultural constructs like familismo, confianza, personalismo, and respeto. These adaptations were made to improve the recruitment, retention, overall participation, and effectiveness of the programs. The study was not designed to examine the overall efficacy of these adaptations, but rather to document them. More research is needed to examine whether these adaptations contribute to program outcomes.(author abstract)

This report from the Pew Research Center demonstrates that the roles of mothers and fathers in American society are converging in terms of how they spend their time and how they feel about work-life balance. It compares the attitudes of moms working outside the home with those who do not work outside the home, as well as married moms versus unmarried moms. Results indicate an increase in perception of difficulty in managing work-life conflicts.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families released a tool that provides information on free and low-cost healthy marriage and relationship education curricula that are research-based and suitable for integration into safety-net service delivery systems.

The Administration for Children and Families presents the Strengthening Families Evidence Review. This website includes catalogs of research on programs for low-income fathers and couples, information on the review process, and a searchable database of studies.

Fathers' involvement in their children's lives has been shown to produce both economic and social benefits. This paper by MDRC examines two different approaches to strengthen fathers' involvement and their family relationships, fatherhood programs for low-income noncustodial fathers and relationship education for parents who are together. Both approaches have shown positive effects on the quality of family relationships.

This report displays and discusses some of the data related to the poverty of children and their living arrangements and data on male employment and earnings, educational attainment, and incarceration. It then provides information on federal programs that could play a greater role in addressing poverty of children through the fathers of these children (nearly all noncustodial parents are fathers). These programs provide economic assistance, family support, and job training and employment to eligible participants. The report also examines federal programs that have the purposes of preventing teen pregnancy and helping disadvantaged youth obtain the skills and support they need to make the transition to adulthood. The underlying premise of these programs generally is that the aid or services received from these programs by low-income noncustodial fathers can help them in meeting their financial commitments to their children (or future children) and providing emotional support to their children. The report concludes by presenting several public policy approaches proposed by the policy community that might improve the lives of low-income noncustodial fathers and their children. For example, social policy could play a role by expanding economic assistance programs to noncustodial fathers, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); and implementing strategies to prevent the build-up of unpaid child support through early intervention. (author abstract)

The National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families released a tip sheet that promotes the building of strong parenting partnerships. This tip sheet reviews concepts of parenting styles, including parental responsiveness and parental demandingness.

This Webinar from the National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families discussed why financial management is a critical healthy marriage and relationship skill. It explored useful tools and resources to help clients build assets and increase financial literacy, and discussed ways to help clients use these tools to increase self-sufficiency and strengthen relationships. Examples of helpful integration strategies for safety-net service providers were provided. This Webinar also provided an overview of new resources and products available from the National Resource Center.