Pre-Marital Counselling and Sustainability of Marriages in Contemporary Ghanaian Society
Date
2019
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal of Political Activism and Engagement
Abstract
Marriages in Ghana are usually preceded by counseling. It is believed that premarital counseling
helps to sustain marriages because it gives couples the initial skills needed to enable them to start
their marriage and solve minor problems that may be encountered in the relationship. This study
was aimed at assessing the significance of premarital counseling to the sustenance of marriage. The
study adopted a mixed methodological approach in gathering the data. Data was gathered from 112
individuals from three different suburbs of the capital city of Ghana. The results showed that although
pre-marital counseling was observed to be important for would-be couples, it does not help sustain
all marriages. Married couples that were given pre-marital counseling were getting separated as well
as those who never had pre-marital counseling. It is therefore recommended that although premarital
counseling may be necessary, it is not sufficient to sustain marriages. Therefore, counseling should
continue even after marriage.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Couples, Marriage, Person-Centred Theory, Pre-Marital Counseling, Solution-Focused Theory, Would-Be Couples