Fatherhood Channel

Instead of checking with a local tween, a British journalist creeped 10,000 Facebook profiles to figure out when couples are most likely to break-up. How can you avoid finding yourself included in a future study?

Nearly 90 percent of married respondents to the Elections and Families Survey said they fully or mostly agreed with family members about the candidates they’d support. Do family conversations about politics impact voting decisions?

An Election Day survey of more than 8,700 adults showed families talking about politics at home most often agree with each other, are likely to vote early, and are generally happy with their lives.

How did family conversations influence voting decisions in the 2010 midterm elections? FatherhoodChannel.com is offering a chance to win a free iPod Touch to adults living in the U.S. who share their experiences through a brief, online survey.

A study looks at how well long-term couples know each other. For older couples, findings reveal there may be some truth to the joke, “How do you tell the married couples in a restaurant? They’re the ones not talking to each other.”

A recent national study reveals a reversal in long-standing marital patterns. College educated young adults are now more likely to have married by the age of 30 than those without a bachelor’s degree. The study also found a strong connection between education and the likelihood of divorce.

Members of the National Guard and Reserve who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan face some of the greatest challenges reconnecting with loved ones after they return home. A recent meeting in Tampa sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and National Healthy Marriage Resource Center reviewed current research and the urgent need for expanded services.

Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals high income woman over 50 are increasingly getting divorced while their male counterparts are far more likely to stay married. Thousands of couples are turning to marriage education to learn skills to preserve their marriages and families.

CNN’s Sanjay Gupta reports that stress hurts a woman’s chance of getting pregnant by decreasing fertility. In relationship and marriage education classes, couples are finding a unique prescription to improving fertility by reducing stress, anxiety and increasing relationship pleasure.

For many parents, families, and young people, the summer school recess is a time to unwind after a busy year of classes, assignments and tests. For many adolescents, it’s a period of increased pressures to engage in behaviors that can have a lifelong impact. As youngsters nationwide approach a break from school, parents have a vital role to play helping their children avoid risky sexual behaviors that can lead to teenage pregnancy, STDs, HIV/AIDS, abortion, and other consequences with lasting repercussions.

ABC News reports Americans 45 and older are far more open to sex outside of marriage than they were 10 years ago, but they’re engaging in sex less often and with less satisfaction. Is it all downhill after 45 when it comes to fidelity, bonding, and sexual satisfaction? A study on the impact of marriage education offers hope.

Studies show marriage education classes are providing significant benefits for low-income couples, many of whom have been impacted by job losses and financial stresses. With expectations that unemployment will remain elevated, programs that strengthen marriages are becoming increasingly important to helping couples keep families intact as they pursue training, job opportunities, and await economic recovery.

A recent study found that nearly 50 percent of teens have never considered how a pregnancy would affect their lives. Research shows that youngsters who have strong, healthy relationships with parents and peers are less likely to engage in risky behaviors. Consider these tips to starting talking with teens about sex and pregnancy.

Is it possible to affair proof a marriage? Has the idea of lasting love within a monogamous, committed relationship gone the way of the vinyl record? A leading marriage education program says there’s hope and offers a road map for love and intimacy.

David Letterman told Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa he is working to create a better marriage following public revelations of infidelity. While research shows increasing rates of infidelity among both men and women, marriage educators report more couples are succeeding in rebuilding trust and intimacy.

Amidst stories of Larry King’s pending eighth divorce, should the King of Talk’s marriage license be revoked? “How many marriages are too many,” Belinda Luscombe asks? A co-worker suggests a weekend marriage education class. Now that would be something to talk about.

For soldiers returning from combat deployment to the combination of job and family stress while holding on to the attitude that human beings can be engineered like tanks, it’s no surprise that many are feeling hopeless, helpless, and discouraged from reaching out for support that could save their lives, families and marriages. Innovative educational approaches through VA Medical Centers that promote bonding, emotional understanding and expression, and deepen communication are addressing causes and symptoms of PTSD, strengthening marriages before and after deployment, and reducing factors that can lead to suicide.

Caring for service members and veterans impacted by traumatic brain injury has become an increasingly urgent national priority. A new publication from the Defense and Brain Injury Center and innovative programs offered through VA Hospitals in collaboration with PAIRS Foundation help caregivers and families address the impact of TBI, promote healing, and strengthen marital resilience.

Recent reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Heritage Foundation on the scope and economic impact of childbirth by single mothers highlight the economic impact of the absence of husbands and fathers, which is also a strong contributing factor to failure in school, crime, drug abuse, emotional disturbance, and a host of other social problems.

For couples experiencing continued marital distress, two recent studies show the potential for significant, lasting improvement through marriage education and marriage therapy. Considering the emotional, health, social, and economic benefits of sustaining healthy marriages, the studies offer strong incentive for couples to pursue marriage education or marriage therapy before actively considering divorce.