The relationship between premarital counselling and marital harmony among families in Lugari, Kakamega County, Kenya

Abstract

Marriage is the most respected institution in the world, and it contributes to the foundations of procreation, leadership and peace and is the hub of economic stability. Currently, there are marital disharmony cases which have led to marriage being viewed with a negative perception. This trend is common in Lugari, Kakamega County, Kenya, resulting in psychological torture, issues with child development in terms of learning and discipline, and a long‐term effect on their behaviour as adults. Premarital counselling was conceived for the purpose of helping families to re‐evaluate their feelings about marriage and its values in order to experience marital harmony. This study sought to determine the relationship between premarital counselling and marital harmony among families. It was guided by solution‐focused theory (SFT). The target population for the study was married couples and premarital counsellors. Purposive and simple random techniques were used to select a representative sample of 20 men, 20 women and 10 premarital counsellors in Lugari, Kakamega County. There was a statistically significant relationship between premarital counselling services and marital harmony among families with a correlation of .893. Therefore, there should be awareness of the existing services, and couples intending to marry should seek premarital counselling interventions and continue to attend counselling after formalising their marriage to keep up with the changing times.

Effects of Emotionally Focused Therapy on Sexual Assertiveness, Marital Forgiveness, and Marital Harmony in Maladjusted Couples

“…Since marital harmony is a dynamic concept, the quality of marital relationships may change over time [13]. Marital harmony is synonymous with concepts, such as marital quality, marital satisfaction, and marital adjustment, and includes all the positive aspects and evaluation of an individual of their marital relationships [14]. Marital harmony is influenced by factors, such as spouses' expectations of each other, parenting styles, financial issues, sexual relationships, and relationships with relatives and friends.…”