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When couples ask you “Does premarital education really work?”…
A very recent US survey of relationship quality contained two questions
on whether married respondents (or previously married respondents) obtained
premarital education. Almost 2,000 respondents were asked, “Did you and
your current spouse have premarital preparation, such as educational classes,
a workshop, or counseling designed to help you get a good start in marriage?”
(Stanley, S., Amato, P., Johnson, C., & Markman, H. Premarital Education,
Marital Quality, and Marital Stability: Findings From a Large, Random Household
Survey. Journal of Family Psychology, 2006, 20, pp 117–126)
The analyses showed that participation in premarital education is associated
with…
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higher levels of marital satisfaction
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lower levels of destructive conflicts
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higher levels of interpersonal commitment to spouses
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a 31% decrease in the odds of divorce
The study also reports that there is no evidence of any adverse effects
of participation in premarital education among particular subgroups in
the US population, since…
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there is no evidence of any difference in benefits for men and women from
diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
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economically disadvantaged men and women derived benefits comparable with
those among more advantaged individuals.
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people with lower levels of education were just as likely as anyone else
to benefit from premarital education with respect to marital satisfaction,
conflict, and interpersonal commitment. However, with respect to lower
likelihood of divorce, those without a high school education were unlikely
to benefit.
The authors commented in closing that “…these findings suggest that beneficial
effects of premarital education are relatively constant throughout the
married population. Yet, expanding premarital education opportunities to
those who are in poverty or who are less educated will present some challenges”.
Past Hints Last Month :
ENRICH and Spouse Abuse.
News Update:
The June 2006 issue of the Newsletter, the Prepare Diary, is
available on this web site: To read, click on: June
2006 Diary The next newsletter will be posted in
mid-December.
PROCESSING FEE WAS INCREASED FROM FEBRUARY 1st 2006
As announced in the December 2005 Newsletter, we have reluctantly increased
the cost of processing to $44 (including GST) from February 1st next year.
This is the first increase in the base cost of processing since 1999.
The $35 processing charge was set then and the GST added to this in June
2000, taking the GST inclusive charge to $38.50. Between June 1999 and
June 2005, our net costs have increased by almost 15% due to constant increases
in the expenses associated largely with wages, printing and postage. Our
aim is to maintain the new processing charge for a lengthy period of time
(as we have done before). We always aimed to make the processing cost comparable
to that of a modest meal for a couple – we feel sure that $44 (for a couple)
is still well and truly within those limits.
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