Studies of accountability partnership programmes have found improved results in practices such as self-examination for skin cancer in at-risk groups or the production of scholarship in a university department.
Members of the Promise Keepers believe that participation in these accountability groups is essential to their vision of godly masculinity and many find disclosing their internal struggles to a trusted other to be a powerfully cathartic exercise.
[3] A study of a Silver Ring Thing event in 2009 found that young people who committed to premarital abstinence were instructed to find an accountability partner of the same gender to help them keep their pledge.
[5] In her 2015 study of evangelical men who pledge pre-marital chastity, sociologist Sarah Diefendorf argued that part of the power of accountability partnerships can be explained through the emotional release and relief of tension that is provided by the act of confessing one's sexual temptations.
Additionally, tests conducted by the magazine found that searching terms such as "gay" or "lesbian", or accessing online support for young LGBT people, immediately sent a "questionable activity report" to the accountability partner.
[16] In academia, some scholars make use of writing accountability groups to increase productivity, reduce procrastination and benefit from peer mentoring, community support, and improved time management skills.
[17] A 2018 study of an accountability partner programme at Washington State University found that the scheme improved the scholarly production of county-level faculty and fostered a more collaborative and encouraging research environment.