Marriage Preparation Programs the Objective

Marriage Preparation Programs The objective of this study is to examine the pros and cons of the following marriage preparation programs that are currently available and to examine why it is that such programs are not successful as evidenced by the staggering divorce rate.

Don Browning writes in the work entitled "Marriage and Modernization" writes that the Coalition for Marriage, Family, and Couples Education" is a clearing house and promotion center for the burgeoning new marriage education and communication movement." (2003) Browning reports that this movement is "essentially a spin-off of the family-therapy movement associated with such towering figures as Virginia Satir, Salvador Minuchin, Nathan Ackerman and Murray Browen. The marriage education movement is reported as being "preparatory and preventative rather than curative and remedial.

Rather than waiting until marriages are in deep difficulty as tends to be the strategy of family therapy, it believes good marriages depend on the communication skills that can be learned prior to marriage, or at least before serious trouble begins." (Browning, 2003) According to Browning there is presently a global movement in marital education and efforts include the goals of reconstructing marriage as an instituted and lived reality." (Browning, 2003) This group is stated to be symbolic in the "growing tendency to search for cultural -- possibly even religiocultural answers to family disruptions in addition to, but not necessarily in contradiction to, governmental and economic answers." (Browning, 2003) I.

PREPARE/ENRICH Olson, Druckman and Fournier (2010) state of the Prepare/Enrich Program that premarital preparation can reduce the divorce rate by 30%. (Stanley, Amato, Johnson & Markman, 2006 in Olson, Druckman, and Fournier, 2010) In addition, it is reported that in a meta-analysis of 11 experimental studies findings show that there are significant differences favoring couples who received pre-marital education. (Carroll & Doherty, 2003 in Olson, Druckman, and Fourier, 2010) Olsen et al. states that PREPARE was developed originally after David Olsen was asked to assist in creating a more effective enrichment program for couples.

The question presenting was that asking what might be done to assist couples to be better prepared for marriage. PREPARE was developed in 1978 due to extensive research that followed the initial question. There have been four revisions since that time. There was a set of inventories developed upon the basis of theoretical and empirical indicators of the critical issues and common conflict areas in marriage. Olsen et al.

It reported to have used four general categories for the inventories including those as follows: (1) Personality Issues -- individual characteristics; (2) Interpersonal issues -- including personal beliefs and expectations; (3) Interpersonal issues -- including communications and relationship issues; and (4) External issues or factors outside the couple relationship that affect them. (Olson, Druckman, and Fourier, 2010) PREPARE builds on the strengths of the inventories which are well-designed, a skill building program for couples which was added becoming the program PREPARE and all its variations.

PREPARE/ENRICH programs consist of: (1) Inventories; (2) Typology of Couples: identifies four couple types and their readiness for success; (3) A mapping process for helping the couple identify family or origin strengths' and issues; (4) Four personality scales; and (5) Integrated couple exercises. (Berger & Hannah, 1999) There are five inventories in the PREPARE/ENRICH program and there are two uses reported for the inventories including: (1) Prevention/Education Tool to Facilitate Understanding and Learning; and (2) An Assessment Instrument for Therapists.

(Berger & Hannah, 1999) The five different inventories and target audiences are reported as follows: (1) PREPARE -- pre-marital couples (2) PREPARE-MC -- Pre-marital couples with children (3) PREPARE -- CC Cohabitating couples with or without children (4) ENRICH -- married couples with or without children (5) MATE -- couples over the age of 50 (PREPARE/ENRICH Counselors Manual, 2004) The PREPARE Inventory is reported to be designed for couples planning to marry or enter a civil union and who do not have children.

Unrealistic expectations and reservations about exploring potential problems are reported to contribute to difficulties in the early years and it is reported that the PREPARE Inventory program can serve as a bridge to that gap. The program is available in seven different languages including those of English, Chinese, German, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, and Spanish.

(PREPARE/ENRICH Counselor's Manual, 2004) It is reported that administration of the inventory is followed by four to six feedback sessions with the couple and a trained PREPARE/ENRICH counselor and discussion is facilitated based on the results of the inventory and in a workbook format.

The PREPARE/ENRICH Program has six major goals including those as follows: (1) Exploration of relationship strengths and growth areas; (2) To learn assertiveness and active listening skills; (3) To learn how to resolve conflict using the 10-step model; (4) To help the couple discuss their family-of-origin; (5) To help the couple with financial planning and budgeting; and (6) To focus on personal, couple and family goals. (PREPARE/ENRICH Counselor's Manual, 2004) The PREPARE/ENRICH Program includes up to 195-item inventory and focuses on significant issues for couples in 14 scales.

Included is a personality assessment with four scales: (1) Assertiveness; (2) Self-confidence; (3) Avoidance; and (4) Partner dominance as well as a couple and family map with four scales. The family map is used to describe the family-of-origin and the couple map is used to describe the type of marriage/couple relationship. II. PREP: The Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program The PREP program is reported as one of the "most comprehensive and well respected divorce-prevention/marriage strengthening programs in the world." (PREP Inc.

2012) PREP is stated to be a program that is "…research-based, skills building curriculum designed to help partners say what they need to say, get to the heart of problems, avoid standoffs and connect with each other instead of pushing each other away." (PREP Inc. 2012) Two critical frameworks are the emphasis of PREP: (1) strategies geared toward lowering risk factors; and (2) strategies for raising protective factors to help marriages succeed. (PREP Inc. 2012) PREP is reported to be education rather than therapy and to include coaching.

PREP is reported to be based on research conducted at the University of Denver and funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. It is reported that the researchers for PREP "use complex coding systems to identify and categorize different aspects of the couples conversations, and they have tracked the couples in what is known as the largest longitudinal study of its kind.

As a result of all this, the researchers (as well as others around the world) have been isolating risk factors that can make a real difference in whether a marriage will be happy or not." ( ) Findings from studies on PREP include: (1) PREP couples have lower rates of premarital break-up and post marital divorce. (2) In a large scale study in Denver, PREP couples as compared to control couples had 1/3 the likelihood of breaking up, through 5 years following the program (combining premarital and post-marital break up).

In a recent study in Germany, 3% of the PREP couples had divorced at a 5-year follow up while 16% of couples who received traditional pre-marital counseling (or no pre-marital counseling) had divorced. (3) PREP couples have shown, in one major long-term study, a greater likelihood of maintaining relationship satisfaction following training. (4) PREP couples have lower levels of negative communication and higher levels of positive communication immediately following the program, and maintain these advantages up to 5 years later.

(Based on studies in the U.S., Germany, and Australia) (5) PREP couples have reported lower levels of physical aggression in the years after taking the program. (6) PREP couples enjoy taking the program because of the "hands on" skill oriented nature of the material with PREP couples reporting greater program satisfaction than couples taking other programs offered to couples. (7) Premarital couples taking PREP given by clergy or lay leaders in their religious organization (as well as when given by university staff) communicate.