An empirical approach to designing marriage preparation programs

Individuals married 1-8 years were surveyed to assess their perceptions of the helpfulness of marriage preparation and specific aspects of their exper ience. Two thirds of the respondents perceived marriage preparation as a va luable experience, but the perceived value declined with the length of marr iage. Aspects of marriage preparation rated most helpful included providing time for couples to learn about each other, using a team of providers, add ressing the Five Cs (communication, commitment, conflict resolution, childr en and church), and having 8-9 sessions.