Universal Gains, Diverse Lives: Rethinking Equity in Relationship Education Outcomes

The present study examined sociodemographic differences in participant outcomes from the ELEVATE relationship education program, a community-based intervention designed to strengthen relational skills and attachment security. Using a retrospective pretest–posttest design, data were collected from 3,055 participants across Florida who completed the 5-week program. Multivariate analyses of variance and follow-up ANOVAs were conducted to assess differences across race/ethnicity, gender, and age on eight relational constructs: relationship satisfaction, sharing, knowledge of partner, knowledge of self, caring from self, caring from partner, managing self, and managing partner. Participants demonstrated significant pre- to post-program improvements across all eight relational constructs. Although demographic differences were statistically significant, effect sizes were uniformly small ( η 2 = .01–.03). These findings support ELEVATE as a broadly effective relationship education program across diverse participant groups while acknowledging modest demographic variation. Collectively, the results contribute to the growing literature on earned attachment security by suggesting that community-based relationship education may promote relational growth across diverse populations.