Impact of Premarital Counselling on Marital Satisfaction and Adjustment among SDA Members

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of premarital counselling on marital satisfaction and adjustment among married SDA members in the Central Region of Ghana. The study adopted a mixed methods approach. The causal comparative design was chosen for the study. A sample of 300 married individuals from SDA churches in the Central Region was selected through multistage sampling for the study. Data were collected using questionnaires and interview guide. Quantitative data analysis was done through both descriptive and inferential statistics while qualitative data analysis was done through thematic analysis. The study found that the respondents were generally satisfied in their marriages and were adjusted in their marriages. The study revealed also that premarital counselling covered topics such as conflict management, communication, finances, coping with differences, future aspirations, parenting, sex and extended family relationships. The respondents perceived premarital counselling to be necessary and effective in dealing with critical issues in marriage. There was a statistically significant negative relationship between premarital counselling and marital satisfaction as well as a statistically significant positive relationship between premarital counselling and marital adjustment. The study showed that the respondents who received premarital counselling had high marital satisfaction compared to those who did not. In the same vein, the respondents who received premarital counselling were more adjusted than those who did not receive premarital counselling. On the basis of the findings, it was recommended that SDA church leaders should make premarital counselling a key pre-requisite for marriages in their churches so that all would-be couples have to partake in before getting married.