International perspectives on couple relationship education

This article introduces the special section on international perspectives on couple relationship education. We first describe the theory and research underlying the increased interest in relationship education, with a strong emphasis on social policy issues. We include a discussion of both the benefits and controversies resulting from governments being involved in promoting healthy relationships. We then provide an overview of the four articles included in the special section and show how they illustrate trends occurring in a diverse set of cultural and national contexts. We conclude by highlighting issues and future directions for the relationship education field.