Illinois residents who took part in a new couples’ relationship strengthening program reported many improvements in their connections with their spouses or partners and in their individual well-being too, research suggests. 

The program, the Illinois Strong Couples project, focuses on topics such as communication, conflict management and friendship to help couples strengthen their bonds. Many of the 340 participants in the program reported decreased conflict with their spouses or partners, greater satisfaction with their relationship and more confidence that their union would last, said the study’s principal investigator Allen W. Barton, a  professor of human development and family studies and an Extension specialist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Read more from the Illinois News Bureau.