Balancing work and relationship: couples coping enhancement training (CCET) in the workplace

Abstract

The current study is among the first to address the question of efficacy of a couple-oriented prevention program in the context of workplace. As many spill-over and cross-over effects between the workplace and couples’ private lives are known, such a focus seems promising. One hundred and fifty-seven couples participating in the study were randomly assigned to three treatment conditions: a couple-oriented intervention (Couples Coping Enhancement Training; CCET), an individual-oriented coping intervention (ICT), and a waiting list control group. Self-report data were collected at pre-test, post test (two weeks after the intervention), and at follow-up (five months after the training). Results are promising for the couple-oriented intervention that significantly outperformed both the ICT and the waiting-list control group. CCET participants scored not only higher in relationship variables (such as communication and dyadic coping) after the training but also in individual variables (e.g., burn-out). These findings support the notion that companies should invest more in the well-being of the relationships of their employees.