Eheglück auf Dauer?

This article reports on the long-term efficacy of a marital distress prevention program for German couples, the EPL (Ein Partnerschaftliches Lernprogramm). The EPL is a six session group training program designed to teach couples effective communication and problem-solving skills. The EPL was evaluated in a prospective, quasi-experimental, controlled dissemination trial. Here the results of the five year follow-up are reported, contrasting 44 EPL-couples with a control group of 13 couples. Significant differences emerged with regard to the couples' relationship satisfaction and positive and negative communication behavior favoring the EPL-couples. Furthermore, the dissolution rate was significantely lower in the EPL group. The implications of the findings for prevention research and for the dissimination of prevention programs are discussed.