Sexual Cyberbullying & Healthy Relationships Join this webinar to learn about Child Trend’s project Activate: a research-to-practice translation center that creates research-based sexual and reproductive health resources for use by professionals who support young people. They focus on youth who are experiencing the child welfare and/or justice systems, homelessness, and/or disconnection from school and work. The spotlight will be on two Activate research projects focused on healthy relationships and sexual cyberbullying. You will learn the relevant research findings along with two technical assistance tools—Decoding Sexual Cyberbullying (to increase professionals’ capacity and comfort discussing sexual cyberbullying) and Crucial Conversations about Healthy Relationships (to increase professionals’ capacity to support youth to develop healthy romantic relationships). You will also be provided with additional resources related to sexual cyberbullying and healthy relationships. Objectives: Participants will be able to: Learn about Activate’s resources focused on sexual cyberbullying and healthy relationships. Learn about Activate’s research translation process….
Healthy Relationships
Lopsided Love: Asymmetrical Commitment in Romantic Relationships One of the greatest insights on lopsided commitment came from sociologist Willard Waller in 1936, when he described the “principle of least interest,” defined in this way: “That person is able to dictate the conditions of association whose interest in the continuation of the affair is least.’’ Analogously, the person who is most committed has the least power in a relationship. There is a growing and robust literature on asymmetrical commitment, with studies showing that it is associated not only with poor relationship dynamics but also specific personal characteristics such as attachment difficulties. Dr. Scott Stanley and Dr. Galena Rhoades have published numerous papers on this topic. In this talk, they will describe what’s up with lopsided love. Objectives: Participants will: Learn about the nature and consequences of asymmetrically committed romantic relationships regarding relationship quality, relationship stability, and risks for aggression. Be able…
Results From a Recent Investigation of Love Notes Join Dr. Scott Crapo from Utah State University as he delves into recent research on the multifaceted, positive impacts of Love Notes. Love Notes aims to achieve a wide array of outcomes beyond reducing sexual risk-taking, yet limited research has explored its effectiveness in reaching broader learning objectives. Given the significant association between healthy adolescent dating relationships and both current and future outcomes, it is crucial to understand how Love Notes influences youths’ general approach to relationships, particularly across diverse contexts. Additionally, since schools and organizations are often unable to commit extensive time to relationship education programs, Dr. Crapo also assessed whether Love Notes can be effectively taught in fewer lessons. Join us to discover how Love Notes impacts youth perceptions and attitudes about relationship behaviors and also one’s capacity to succeed in relationships. See how changes to the format of Love…
Making Relationship Programs More Inclusive For LGBTQ+ Youth: Findings From the FRAMING Research Project The number of young people in the United States who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ+) has increased substantially in recent years. Although the topics addressed in healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE) programs tend to be applicable to young people of any gender who are interested in both heterosexual and non-heterosexual relationships, few programs explicitly address these topics from the LGBTQ+ perspective. Supported by the Department of Health and Human Services, and in partnership with Public Strategies, Mathematica explored how to make HMRE programs more inclusive for LGBTQ+ youth. The project team reviewed literature on relationship education and related programming for LGBTQ+ youth, led focus groups and interviews with HMRE program directors and staff, and interviewed HMRE program participants who self-identified as LGBTQ+. Join us as we discuss common challenges HMRE…
“But you know I’m just like you, right?” Exploring Adolescent Dating and Disability Join Dr. Heidi Rueda as she discusses her research on adolescent dating and disability. She will explore young people with disabilities’ romantic and sexual experiences highlighting the unique challenges and assets across the stages of relationships (initiation, sustainment, and termination). She will also cover dating and sexual violence prevention along with pregnancy and parenting considerations. She will highlight how, through advocacy, parents and educators can help young people with various types of disabilities obtain sexual citizenship via comprehensive sexual health education plus tailored dating and sexual health resources. The qualitative data for this webinar came from interviews with social workers who served children and adolescents with disabilities, as well as from interviews with young adults with disabilities and with parents of youth with disabilities. Objectives: Participants will be able to: Describe the intimacy desires of youth with…
The State of Youth Relationship Education Today Relationship education has moved from being an unfamiliar and unrecognized intervention to being an appreciated and effective intervention that can pull many levers in young people’s lives. We know from research that it can change sexual behaviors, reduce violence and the acceptance of violence. And, most recently, we see that relationship education can help build hope. Join Executive Director, Kay Reed, to learn about the current landscape for the field of relationship education. She will share new research outcomes, innovative funding streams and settings, along with challenges and opportunities for the field. Objectives: Participants will be able to: List outcomes that result from evidence-based relationship education. Target new state and federal funding to support relationship education programming. Share current challenges and opportunities for the field Presenter: Kay Reed, Executive Director Resources: January 2024 Webinar Slide Deck
What happens when you teach teens to navigate their romantic relationships? Is there a difference between boys and girls? Does dose or content matter? Join Drs. Alamillo and Doran of Mathematica as they share the insights of a randomized study of Georgia students who participated in two versions of the Relationship Smarts PLUS program. They will discuss the impact on students’ relationship skills, attitudes, knowledge, experiences, and the quality of their relationships one and three years later. As part of the sustained effort by the Administration for Children and Families to expand available evidence on healthy marriage and relationship education programs, Mathematic and its partner, Public Strategies, conducted the Strengthening Relationship Education and Marriage Services evaluation to help identify strategies for improving the delivery and effectiveness of HMRE programs. (MTCI), near Atlanta, Georgia. MTCI received a federal grant in 2015 to deliver Relationship Smarts PLUS Version 3.0 to youth in high…
What happens when you organize college undergraduates to provide healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE) to their peers in a structured service-learning class? This presentation will describe a community engagement strategy and pedagogical approach to prepare emerging professionals and strengthen romantic relationships by utilizing undergraduate peer educators to facilitate HMRE to other undergraduate students in their campus community. Join Drs. McElwain and Finnegan as they discuss the process of training, planning, and implementing content from the evidence-based Love Notes curriculum that helped college peers see human development and family relations concepts “come to life,” open a “whole new world” of career opportunities, and develop key professional skills. Objectives: Participants will be able to: Understand the benefits of a peer education model for delivering HMRE through structured university service-learning courses. Identify peer impact and practical gains of facilitating relationship education through a service-learning experience Learn from peer educators’ reflections on their…
Beginning in the mid-2000s, the federal government authorized funding to support healthy relationship education (HRE) for youth. These programs aim to improve young people’s relationship skills, knowledge, and behaviors and prepare them to build healthy romantic relationships in adulthood. In 2020, the federal government awarded more than $24 million to 25 programs serving high-school-age youth and young adults. In a project supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mathematica has summarized the existing research on the effectiveness of HRE programs for youth. The research team identified and reviewed 15 impact studies of HRE programs for youth and summarized the findings using an evidence and gaps map. Join us as we discuss what we know and what we don’t know about the effectiveness of HRE programs for youth and promising future directions for continuing to build the evidence base for these programs. Objectives: Participants will learn: What an…
From underperforming schools to unsafe neighborhoods, from institutional racism to other structural barriers, hindrances often stand in the way of financial success for young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds. Given these challenges, many young adults lose hope, thinking they have no way of changing their life trajectories. However, there is a path that frequently leads to the “American Dream” and away from poverty. This path is called the “Success Sequence.” The sequence entails three steps: (1) getting at least a high-school degree, (2) working full-time, and (3) marrying before having children. Young adults who manage to follow the sequence – even in the face of challenges – are much more likely to forge a path to a better economic life. Join Brad Wilcox and Wendy Wang as they discuss how poverty is basically nonexistent among young adults who followed all three steps according to their new analysis of data from the…
50% to 65% of Americans believe that living together before marriage will improve their odds of relationship success, and 70% of newly married couples in the U.S. live together prior to marrying. But is what people believe true? In this webinar, researchers from the University of Denver will briefly highlight the association between premarital cohabitation and marital outcomes. Using the latest findings from a new, national survey on premarital cohabitation conducted in 2022, they will update prior work and findings with people who married for the first time between 2010 and 2019. Join Galena Rhoads and Scott Stanley as they discuss the mechanisms of risk in premarital cohabitation and the implications for working with youth and young adults. The discussion will be followed by an extensive question and answer session. Objectives: Participants will be able to: Describe the historical and latest findings on premarital cohabitation research Understand implications for youth…
For the past 10 years, youth serving programs across the United States have been teaching healthy relationship skills to hundreds of thousands of young people using Relationship Smarts PLUS 4.0 and Love Notes 3.0. Now, The Dibble Institute is excited to announce that both of these evidence-based programs have been updated with brand new information crucial to supporting teens and young adults in today’s world! Both Relationship Smarts PLUS 5.0 and Love Notes 4.0 continue to use a strengths-based, asset building approach to help young people make wise choices about relationships, sex, and the timing of family formation plus setting a path towards achieving their goals. New and updated contents include: Navigating relationships in the digital age Sex trafficking prevention Consent and sexual assault prevention Unique approach to addressing internet porn Current research, music, videos, images Improved activities for greater engagement and easier facilitation Medical accuracy updates on contraceptive and STI information Objectives:…
In this webinar, Dr. Anita Barbee, will discuss the results from the original random control trial in Louisville testing the efficacy of Love Notes. She will focus on how Love Notes actually reduces the chance of pregnancy for youth by 46% over those in the control group 12 months after instruction. (These results were recently published in the peer reviewed journal, Family Relations.) You will learn about some of the mediators that led to that outcome, which were emphasized more in Love Notes than another comprehensive sex education program. She will cover how negative attitudes about teen pregnancy and endorsement of the success sequence may be key in preventing teen pregnancies. Dr. Barbee will also dive into why Love Notes worked so well with a Black youth population given the ecology in which those participants live. Implications for practice will be discussed. Objectives: Participants will learn: About contents of Love Notes that likely impacted results….
Researchers from Child Trends using the Social Genome Model (SGM) explored how preventing births to teenagers would alter the lives of youth over time. The results show education, economic, and health benefits associated with preventing births to teens – findings that lead to an important question. How is childbearing among teenagers best prevented? Join Dr. Kristin Moore and Alison McClay as they share decades of experience with varied approaches and highlight how wisdom about preventing teen births has accumulated over time. Information is important, services are important, but motivation is important as well. The presentation will also describe how intervention approaches have evolved over time and outline considerations for future research and programs, including an overview of El Camino, a research-based sexual health promotion program developed by Child Trends. Objectives: Participants will be able to: Discuss the implications of teenage childbearing; Describe varied approaches used to discourage sexual activity and…
The “Success Sequence” refers to the concept of milestones a young person should complete in their life that are associated with greater economic self-sufficiency and family stability. These steps are most commonly understood as 1) finishing high school, 2) having a full-time job, and 3) waiting for marriage to have children. Up until now, a key part of the Success Sequence has been the order in which a young person achieves these milestones. With funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Mathematica conducted an economic analysis of the Success Sequence steps to assess their actual benefits for young people. Join us to discuss Mathematica’s findings about the Success Sequence including new thinking about the order of the milestones, what some alternative pathways may be for young people, and the significance of their order in creating economic self-sufficiency and family stability. Objectives: Participants will be able to explain:…
Join Sarah Halpern-Meekin, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, and of Public Affairs at University of Wisconsin-Madison, to learn about the concept of on-again and off-again relationships known as “Relationship Churning.” Join her as she discusses the frequency of relationship churning among young adults and parents, explains the associated predictors, and reflects on how practitioners can recognize them, including implications for their work. Webinar Participants will be able to: Explain what a churning relationship is Explain the frequency of and factors associated with churning relationships Reflect on the implications of churning relationships for practice Presenters: Sarah Halpern-Meekin, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin – Madison Resources: Relationship Churning Slide Deck + Research The book referenced during the webinar is: Dailey, R. M. (2019). On-again, off-again relationships: Navigating (in) stability in romantic relationships. Cambridge University Press.
In today’s uncertain times, many youth experience housing insecurity, unstable or unsafe relationships, and toxic stress. Social and emotional wellbeing can help these young people overcome adversity, heal from trauma, and build resilience, thereby increasing their hopes for the future. Learning and practicing mindfulness skills can be the pathway to increasing self-regulation, building healthy relationships, and increasing resilience. The question is how can youth move towards social and emotional wellbeing? During this webinar, we will explore some of the social-emotional needs of youth and how the Milestone Transitional Living Program in Utah utilizes mindfulness skills and the Mind Matters program in group sessions and in group homes. Join Mina Koplin, Lorri Lake, and Maygan Martinez as they share how they utilize the ACEs questionnaire, how they present Mind Matters content, and how they implement mindfulness skills in sessions with disconnected youth. Objectives: Participants will be able to: Identify the Social-Emotional needs…
Americans today are increasingly waiting longer to marry, if they marry at all. Are today’s young people no longer interested in forming families? What types of relationships they are experiencing? Explore research on young people’s attitudes toward relationship formation, their dating and romantic relationships, and the quality of their relationships in this webinar. Program providers will better meet the needs of the youth they serve by placing their participants’ experiences within broader U.S. trends. In this webinar, Drs. Karen Benjamin Guzzo and Wendy D. Manning will discuss preliminary findings of new work from the Marriage Strengthening and Research Dissemination (MAST) Center on adolescents’ and young adults’ relationship expectations and experiences, drawing on a review of recent research as well as new analyses of the National Survey of Family Growth. Objectives: Webinar participants will understand: Teens’ and young adults’ expectations of cohabitation and marriage. Recent trends in dating and other romantic…
From hooking up, to living together, to bearing children prior to clarity about having a future together, relationship and family development has changed. New paradigms have important implications for how we understand the romantic and sexual relationships of young adults. Ambiguity is a preferred condition of relationships for many, which makes it easier to finesse intentions and hide asymmetrical commitment. However, this new relationship paradigm can lead to a person losing life options before making a clear choice about what they want the most. In this webinar, Scott Stanley, Ph.D. will explain the ways motivated ambiguity intersects with types of commitment (e.g., constraint and dedication) to impact mate selection and lasting love. Some themes include the role of commitment in securing attachment, asymmetrical commitment, and research on how common types of relationship transitions can impact long-term outcomes. Objectives: Webinar participants will be able to: Understand how teen and early adulthood…
With the highest teen pregnancy rates in the United States, Arkansas has a great need for health education centering around pregnancy prevention and healthy relationships. After utilizing Love Notes 3.0 and Love Notes SRA for the last three years, Arkansas Children’s Hospital Outreach Specialists, Sarah Harlan and Charles Maxwell, have encountered barriers common to a rural, conservative environment. But despite those barriers, they have seen growth. Join them during this webinar to hear their experiences and lessons learned in bringing relationship education to teens across their state. Objectives: Webinar participants will be able to: Understand how Love Notes aligns with the mission of Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Understand Arkansas Children’s Love Notes implementation strategies. Gain insights into increasing community partnerships and reaching rural areas with health education. Presenters: Sarah Harlan and Charles Maxwell, Outreach Specialists, Arkansas Children’s Hospital Who should attend: Program managers, educators, practitioners, community workers, and anyone interested in working with youth. When: Wednesday,…