Culturally responsive modifications to Gottman's Seven Principles Program for Arab American Adults: A feasibility study

Objective

To assess the feasibility of implementing a culturally responsive version of Gottman's Seven Principles relationship education program in a community-based setting for married Arab American adults.

Background

To provide high-quality couple and relationship education, it is necessary to acknowledge the population's needs and cultural backgrounds. One ethnic minority group that needs special attention is the Arab American community, which shares protective factors in terms of family support, religious beliefs, resiliency, and collectivist culture.

Method

We adapted Gottman's Seven Principles Program and conducted a qualitative feasibility study to examine recruitment capability, program acceptability, demand, and participant response among 16 Arab American married adults.

Results

The results emphasize the vital role that thoughtful cultural and linguistic program adaptation played in increasing the acceptability and engagement of Arab American participants. However, results identified the ongoing stigma in Arab American communities against overtly seeking help for marital issues.

Conclusion

This feasibility study provides helpful methodological and practical guidance to inform the design of larger scale randomized trials examining the efficacy of culturally responsive marriage education programs.

Implications

This study outlined actionable strategies, adaptations, venues, and communication channels to reduce barriers and optimize the delivery of marriage education to Arab American couples and families.