Professional Responses to Government-Endorsed Premarital Counseling

Abstract

This paper presents preliminary findings about the manner in which public policies that promote premarital counseling impact professionals who conduct premarital counseling. The purpose of this paper is to describe findings from a survey of premarital counseling providers in a state in which the government endorses premarital counseling. A total of 194 premarital counseling providers described their responses to their state government's endorsement of premarital counseling. Results indicated that a majority of providers held a favorable opinion of this policy, although a number of providers held either unfavorable opinions of the policy or were uncertain about the policy's effectiveness. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Solution-focused premarital counseling: helping couples build a vision for their marriage

This article outlines a solution-focused approach to premarital counseling. Solution-focused premarital counseling is a strength-based approach that focuses on a couple's resources to develop a shared vision for the marriage. Background information about premarital counseling and solution-focused therapy provide the framework for the development of intervention strategies that are grounded in the solution-focused approach. Solution-oriented interventions include solution-oriented questions, providing feedback, and the Couple's Resource Map, an original intervention that is described in this article.     

Predicting marital satisfaction using prepare: a replication study*

This study clearly replicated the previous findings which demonstrated the predictive validity of PREPARE. Like the previous study, this longitudinal study was a 3-year follow-up of 179 couples who took PREPARE during their engagement. As in the initial longitudinal study, PREPARE predicted, with about 80% accuracy, couples who got divorced from those that were happily married. Also, the same linear trend in PREPARE scores was found (highest to lowest scores): happily married, unhappily married, cancelled/delayed marriage, and separated/divorced. This study further indicates the importance of the premarital period as the foundation for marriage and the ability of PREPARE to identify high-risk premarital couples who could benefit from premarital counseling. Premarital counseling could potentially help these high risk couples develop a more satisfying marriage.     

Revising Premarital Relationship Interventions for the Next Generation

In this article, we review research on contemporary social trends that influence the next generation's ability to form and sustain a healthy marriage. As a result, we argue for greater attention to premarital interventions for engaged couples to help the next generation address the potential challenges created by these trends. After we briefly review the current state of premarital education and counseling, we examine four general, interrelated social trends: individualism and commitment ambivalence, changing attitudes about marriage, premarital relationship histories, and the omnipresent media environment. In addition, we offer four general proposals corresponding to these trends that we believe will enhance the future effectiveness of premarital interventions. We urge premarital educators and counselors to evaluate their current interventions with these proposals in mind.     

A theoretically derived model of premarital intervention: The building of a family system

Premarital intervention programs are on the rise in the United States despite the absence of persuasive empirical data that substantiate their effectiveness. In addition to this lack of strong empirical support, many premarital counseling programs fail to articulate any coherent theory of family process or family intervention which serve as conceptual guideposts for formulating program goals and devising program activities. In this article, the authors describe an experimental program that is conceptually grounded in theories of family process and family intervention. The theoretical rationale for each element included in the program is discussed and numerous examples of the program's content and exercises are offered. Finally, the authors discuss a number of issues central to the evaluation of premarital counseling programs.     

Perceptions and Experiences of Marriage Preparation Among U.S. Muslims: Multiple Voices from the Community

Although Muslims in the United States are a growing population, there is limited research on their relational patterns and how they prepare for marriage. We conducted in‐depth interviews with 32 members of the Muslim community in Southeast Michigan including married individuals, divorced individuals, therapists, and imams (Muslim religious leaders) to explore their perceptions and experiences of marriage preparation. Our analysis revealed that marriage preparation varies but is less likely to involve a requirement of premarital counseling, with imams being the primary providers, not therapists. Barriers to participation include stigma, lack of awareness, logistical and financial challenges, and parental influence. Partnerships between imams and therapists, and family and community efforts are necessary to address barriers and increase participation in premarital education programs.     

PREDICTING MARITAL SUCCESS WITH PREPARE: A PREDICTIVE VALIDITY STUDY

In order to determine the predictive validity of the premarital inventory PREPARE, this study assessed the utility of PREPARE inpredicting marital success. A 3-year follow-up study was conducted with 164 couples who took PREPARE during their engagement. As hypothesized, it was found that satisfied couples scored significantly higher on the inventory than dissatisfied couples, divorced couples, and couples who cancelled their marriage. It was also hypothesized and found that dissatisfied married couples did not differ significantly from couples who cancelled their marriage or those who divorced. Using discriminant analysis, it was found that the PREPARE scores from 3 months before marriage could predict with 80–90% accuracy which couples were separated and divorced from those that were happily married. These findings not only demonstrate the predictive validity of PREPARE, but its potential utility in identifying high-risk couples who could benefit from more intensive premarital counseling.     

Pre-Marital Counseling and Examination

The author's system of premarital counseling and examination is presented. The program consists of four visits before the marriage and one following. The first visit introduces the couple to the contractual elements of marriage; the second and third are used for taking the medical history and physical examination. The fourth visit summarizes the findings and introduces a program for beginning the marriage. The fifth visit occurs between the eighth and twelfth weeks of the marriage to help resolve problems which become apparent in the early weeks of married living. The work sheets and sample examinations are appended.     

Developmental Patterns in Marital Satisfaction: Another Look at Covenant Marriage

This study investigated differences in the trajectory of marital satisfaction in the first 7 years between couples in covenant versus standard marriages. The authors analyzed data on 707 Louisiana marriages from the Marriage Matters Panel Survey of Newlywed Couples, 1998–2004, using multivariate longitudinal growth modeling. When the sample was restricted to couples who remained married over the duration of the study, a marginal benefit of covenant status was found for husbands. This effect was largely accounted for by covenant husbands' more extensive exposure to premarital counseling. The linear decline in marital satisfaction over time that obtained for both husbands and wives was not, however, any different for covenant marriages versus standard marriages. Couples characterized by more traditional attitudes toward gender roles were significantly less satisfied than others. High premarital risk factors, initial uncertainty about marrying the spouse, and the presence of preschool‐age children in the household were all corrosive of marital satisfaction at any given time.     

Development and Validation of the Marital Metaphor Questionnaire (MMQ‐10) for Urban Chinese Women

Metaphors have long been applied to marital counseling and couple therapy. This pioneering study measures marital conceptualization through metaphors. It reports the validation of the Marital Metaphor Questionnaire (MMQ‐10), designed to measure the marriage conceptualization of Chinese women through marital metaphors. The MMQ‐10 was found to have favorable psychometric properties including reliable internal consistency, a good discriminative prediction of marriage at risk and moderate correlation with a Chinese indigenous multidimensional marital satisfaction inventory. Factor analysis reveals that the MMQ‐10 is composed of three dimensions: conjugal relationship, marital anguish, and marital conviction. The MMQ‐10 appears to be suitable for the use with Chinese women in premarital or marital counseling sessions. The present researchers hope that this study may support the use of metaphors in future research and clinical practice in other nations and cultures.     

Premarital Sex,Premarital Cohabitation,and the Risk of Subsequent Marital Dissolution Among Women

Using nationally representative data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth, I estimate the association between intimate premarital relationships (premarital sex and premarital cohabitation) and subsequent marital dissolution. I extend previous research by considering relationship histories pertaining to both premarital sex and premarital cohabitation. I find that premarital sex or premarital cohabitation that is limited to a woman's husband is not associated with an elevated risk of marital disruption. However, women who have more than one intimate premarital relationship have an increased risk of marital dissolution. These results suggest that neither premarital sex nor premarital cohabitation by itself indicate either preexisting characteristics or subsequent relationship environments that weaken marriages. Indeed, the findings are consistent with the notion that premarital sex and cohabitation limited to one's future spouse has become part of the normal courtship process for marriage.     

Premarital Cohabitation and Marital Dissolution in Postreform China

The author uses cohabitation data from the 2010 Chinese Family Panel Studies to analyze the association of premarital cohabitation with subsequent divorce of first marriage. After balancing selection factors that influence premarital cohabitation through propensity score matching, the author uses Cox proportional hazards models to examine the selection, causation, and diffusion perspectives on the relationship between premarital cohabitation and marital dissolution. The results show that premarital cohabitation is positively associated with divorce for those married in the early‐reform period (1980–1994) when cohabitation was uncommon. However, this relationship disappears for those married in the late‐reform period (1995–2010) when cohabitation became more prevalent. The findings suggest variation in the link between premarital cohabitation and divorce across different marriage cohorts and provide strong evidence for the diffusion perspective in postreform China. Supplemental sensitivity analyses support the robustness of the conclusion.     

Age at Coresidence,Premarital Cohabitation,and Marriage Dissolution: 1985–2009

Does the age at which premarital cohabitors moved in together explain why they have been found to have an increased risk of marital dissolution? Explanations for the increased risk of marriage dissolution among those who marry young center on marital role preparation; for premarital cohabitors, many, if not most, of these roles began at the onset of cohabitation, not marriage. Analyses of the 1995, 2002, and 2006–2010 waves of the National Survey of Family Growth (N = 7,037) revealed that age at coresidence explained a substantial portion of the higher marital dissolution risk of premarital cohabitors. In comparisons standardized by age at coresidence, the difference in risk of marital dissolution between premarital cohabitors and those who married without prior cohabitation (“direct marriers”) was much smaller than in comparisons standardized by age at marriage, and in some models this difference was not significant. Selection into direct marriage and premarital cohabitation was also examined.     

Premarital Cohabitation and Direct Marriage in the United States: 1956–2015

Cohabitation rates and durations increased rapidly beginning in the late 1960s, and by 2011–2015, 70% of first marriages among women under age 36 began in premarital cohabitation lasting an average of 32?months before marriage. The National Survey of Families and Households (n?=?3,594) and the National Survey of Family Growth (n?=?9,420) are analyzed to estimate selection into direct marriage and premarital cohabitation from 1956–2015, and long- and short-term premarital cohabitations from 1971–2015. Early premarital cohabitors were more likely to be women of color and had the same education as direct marriers. Later cohorts of premarital cohabitors were less educated, from lower class backgrounds, more likely to have experienced a parental divorce/separation, less religious, and long-term premarital cohabitations were more common among women of color.     

Attitudes Toward Premarital Sex in Contemporary Vietnam: Findings from a National Survey

ABSTRACT

Despite growing concerns over increasingly relaxed sexual culture in Vietnam, population-based research that investigates the openness to premarital sex in contemporary Vietnam remains scarce. Using data from the Vietnam Population and AIDS Indicator Survey 2005, this study examined the acceptance toward premarital sex and documented significant differences in attitudes by gender, age, and marital status. Attitudes of Vietnamese toward premarital sex generally remained conservative. Men were more permissive than women. Among both male and female respondents, higher acceptance levels were reported to men's practice of premarital sex than to women's same practice. Unmarried respondents were more open than those who were married. A growing openness toward premarital sex among the younger age was found only among the married. Results suggest the coexistence of traditional values and a growing permissiveness toward premarital sex in Vietnam.     

Why Wait ‘til Marriage? The Determinants of Premarital Sex among Adolescents in a Country in Sub-Saharan Africa: Botswana

The purpose of the study was to describe the premarital sexual behaviors of Botswana adolescents and examine the factors associated with premarital sex intentions. An anonymous self-reported questionnaire was administered to 1,054 pupils ages 10 to 18 years in school and out of school. The findings indicate that the theory of planned behavior provides a model for developing interventions to reduce the risk behavior in regard to HIV/AIDS through premarital sex. The findings in the study indicate factors that influence adolescent intentions to engage in premarital sexual intercourse and the need to address these when designing effective interventions.     

Culturally sensitive adaptation of PREPARE with Japanese premarital couples

In this study, we attempted to achieve a culturally sensitive adaptation of the PREmarital Personal And Relationship Evaluation (PREPARE) Inventory with Japanese premarital couples (n = 849). A translation, back-translation, and construct modification process was initiated by a group of U.S. and Japanese researchers to ensure a culturally sensitive and applicable adaptation of PREPARE. Alpha reliability analyses revealed good internal consistency among Japanese PREPARE scales. A Japanese premarital couple typology was developed using cluster analyses. Several unique features of the Japanese premarital types are identified and discussed. Suggestions are provided for continued enhancement in adaptation process of PREPARE with Japanese premarital couples.     

Long-Term Changes in Attitudes Toward Premarital Sex in the United States: Reexamining the Role of Cohort Replacement

Attitudes toward premarital sex in the United States have changed considerably since the 1970s. However, it is unclear whether these changes are due to cohort replacement, broader changes within cohorts, or a combination of the two processes. We examined within- and between-cohort changes in attitudes toward premarital sex in the United States from 1975 to 2008 using hierarchical age-period-cohort models based on data from the General Social Survey. We used a religious plausibility structure framework to examine several possible mechanisms for within- and between-cohort variation in premarital sex attitudes over time, including changes in religious participation, marital patterns, and family structure. The results provided mixed support for our hypotheses. Attitudes toward premarital sex became more permissive over time in the United States in part because of the process of cohort replacement, but the level of permissiveness peaked with the baby boomer cohorts. This cohort effect is due in part to differences in rates of religious service attendance and educational attainment. However, the overall increase in permissive attitudes toward premarital sex is also due to period effects that are not captured by the measures included in our analyses.     

Psychosocial Correlates of Premarital Sex Among College Students in Hunan Province,China

ABSTRACT

A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the psychological and sociocultural factors associated with premarital sexual behavior among a sample of 1,875 Chinese college students in Hunan Province. Chi-square tests, t-tests, and logistic regression were used to determine any variations in the variables between those who had initiated sex and those who had no sexual experience. Students who were impulsive decision makers were more likely to have had premarital sexual intercourse. Those participants who perceived that their parents/friends would approve of their having sex and those who were more exposed to sexual media programs were more likely to have premarital sexual intercourse. Male students were almost 2 times more likely than female students to have had premarital sex. The findings provide insights for developing reproductive and sexual health education programs for Chinese young adults.