Evaluating the Effectiveness of Relationship Education for Latino Adolescents

Adolescent romantic relationships are often characterized as exploratory and fleeting; however, they have lasting impacts on individual well-being and relationship quality during and beyond adolescence, shaping future relationship expectations and quality (Collins, 2003; Madsen & Collins, 2011). Adolescent relationship education is an important programmatic feature under the broader umbrella of family life education (Simpson et al., 2018). Previous evaluative studies document positive outcomes in educating adolescents on how to build and recognize healthy relationships (Bradford et al., 2023; Kerpelman et al., 2010); however, research remains limited in addressing potential benefits for adolescents from historically underrepresented groups. This study addresses this research gap by evaluating the effectiveness of relationship education for Latino adolescents who participated in the Premarital Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge (PICK) program (Van Epp, 2011). As part of a statewide, Extension-based initiative, this mixed-methods study evaluated the impact of the PICK program on participants’ understanding of key relationship concepts, while also seeking to learn about participants’ experiences. Such research is timely, given the increased diversity in the U.S. (Frey, 2018) and the risk factors Latino adolescents face (Cuevas et al., 2014).