Date of Conferral
2023
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Human Services
Advisor
Shari Jorissen
Abstract
AbstractResearch regarding premarital counseling programs has shown that premarital counseling can help individuals enhance the quality of their relationship and lower the likelihood of divorce after marriage. The research problem addressed in this study was that couples who do not participate in premarital counseling have lower relationship satisfaction and higher rates of divorce, and Black couples participate in premarital counseling less often compared to White couples. Using a generic qualitative research design, data was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with five African American married couples who had not participated in premarital counseling to find out their perceptions as these were the reason behind not participating. Data was analyzed through the lens of Katz’s functional attitude theory using Colaizzi’s seven-step process for conducting thematic content analysis. The themes discovered were that the African American couples interviewed believe that premarital counseling has benefits, there are barriers to premarital counseling for African American couples, and premarital counseling should be better marketed to African American couples. Potential social change implications of the study include providing additional knowledge that could help professionals develop educational materials for African Americans about the benefits of premarital counseling to increase participation and relationship satisfaction and decrease divorce rates.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Kimberly A., "Perceptions of African Americans Toward Premarital Counseling" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 14021.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/14021
