TY - JOUR T1 - Effects of a Couple Communication Program on Marital Adjustment JF - The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine JO - J Am Board Fam Med SP - 36 LP - 44 DO - 10.3122/jabfm.2007.01.060053 VL - 20 IS - 1 AU - Bektas Murat Yalcin AU - Tevfik Fikret Karahan Y1 - 2007/01/01 UR - http://www.jabfm.org/content/20/1/36.abstract N2 - Background: Couples are usually advised to improve their communication skills to increase harmony and avoid conflicts. However, studies aimed at increasing marital adjustment in primary care are limited.Methods: A Couple Communication Program was announced at the Ondokuz Mayis University Permanent Education Center, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale was administered to 67 couples who volunteered. Twenty-eight persons (14 couples) with the lowest test scores were randomized into study and control groups. At the end of the program (post-test), the scale was again administered to the study group. Afterward, the pretest and post-test scores of the study and control groups were compared. The study group’s pretest, post-test, and follow-up test scores were also examined.Results: No difference in marital adjustment was found between the study and control groups before the start of the program (P > .05). The post-test scores of the couples attending the Couple Communication Program proved to be higher in total than the scores of those who did not attend (P < .001). The post-test and follow-up scores of the study group were significantly higher than their pretest scores (P < .001). There was no significant difference between the post-test and follow-up scores of the study group (P = 1.0).Conclusion: This program may have a positive effect on marital adjustment levels by improving communication skills and may lead to long-term behavioral modifications in couples. ER -