Many couples have been encouraged or even required by their pastors or by the state to engage in premarital counseling (Calvert & Bridges, 2006; Schumm et al., 2010; Williams, 2007). The majority of premarital counseling is provided within church settings and is provided by the clergy or lay ministers of the church (Schumm et al., 2010; Stahmann, 2000). Although pastors can provide education and spiritual guidance, they may not be adequately trained or comfortable with providing the clinical interventions that some premarital couples may need. The authors propose an Adlerian model for therapists to use when providing premarital counseling with religious couples. In addition, they provide a brief overview of existing popular assessments and inventories for premarital counseling, and they present a case study involving a male-female, Christian couple.

There are two studies in this dissertation. Both are about a program called “PICK a Partner.” The first study looked at how the program went for 682 people from the community who were taught PICK. These people ranged in age from 18 to 25. Those in attendance were given questions at the beginning of the program about their thoughts, perceptions, and knowledge regarding dating relationships. They were given these same questions at the end of the program. The scores on the questions at the end of the program were compared with scores on the questions at the beginning of the program. Peoples’ scores increased from before to after on all four questionnaires. These scores were also compared with scores from a group of students aged 18 to 25 from a university. Those that attended the program had higher scores; the scores of those from the university who did not attend the program stayed about the same. The second study examined how teachers influence scores and how individual characteristics of participants influence change in scores. The second study showed that teacher characteristics do matter somewhat in helping participants increase in knowledge. In addition, how religious a person is and whether they are a man or woman also matter, but only a little, in helping participants increase in knowledge. Future studies on PICK and the strengths and weaknesses of these studies are discussed.

The influence of religiosity in adolescence on several variables that have been shown to be predictors of marital quality and stability was examined using a nationally representative sample of 3,151 youth, aged 13 to 17 years, from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). Religiosity was defined to incorporate multiple characteristics including religious beliefs, attitudes, participation, experiences, and identities. The effect of religious affiliation and religiosity was also examined for seven premarital predictors, which included relationship with parents, ideal age for marriage, right and wrong, academic achievement, sexual behavior, attitude toward cohabitation, and attitude toward divorce. Data were collected through telephone interviews using a random-digit-dial method between 2002 and 2003. Youth were categorized into eight religious groups: Conservative Protestant, Mainline Protestant, Black Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Other Christian, and Not Religious. Research questions were analyzed using ANCOVA, OLS regression, and logistic regression. Results indicated that all three research hypotheses were supported by the data. Specifically, religious affiliation significantly predicted level of religiosity, religiosity was related to each of the seven premarital predictors of marital quality and stability, and religious affiliation acted as a moderator in the relationships between religiosity and the seven premarital predictors. Comparison of the eight religious groups revealed that religiosity has a unique influence on youth in the different groups in relation to these outcome variables. In light of these findings, implications, limitations, and future directions for research are discussed.

Project Thesis (D. Min.)--Denver Seminary, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 215-227).

Project Thesis (D. Min.)--Denver Seminary, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 215-227).

Thesis (M.A.)--Duquesne University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-80) and index.

A literature review revealed 15 variables as commonly studied as associated with adolescent pregnancy. The research showed conflicting results in many of these areas. Twenty-one pregnant and 20 non-pregnant adolescents were tested using the Arlin Test of Formal Reasoning (ATFR) and the Reiss's Premarital Sexual Permissiveness Scale. Pregnant participants were expected to score lower than non-pregnant participants on the ATFR; and, the low permissives (based on responses to the Reiss's Premarital Sexual Permissiveness Scale) were expected to score higher than high permissives on the ATFR. However, the results did not support the hypotheses. Several areas were examined for exploratory purposes. There was a significant difference between high permissives and low permissives for parent/peer orientation for sexual behavior attitudes. Additional exploratory demographic information was collected using a General Information Questionnaire.

This study examined the effects of premarital counseling on newlywed communication. It was predicted that individuals who had participated in premarital counseling would have lower levels of demand/withdrawal communication and higher levels of spousal support. The effects of the format of the counseling were also examined. Individuals who had been married less than two years completed a survey measuring their marital satisfaction, levels of demand/withdraw, and perceived spousal support. Social learning theory was used as a theoretical lens. Results suggested that participating in premarital counseling has no affect on newlywed communication. Newlyweds who had been exposed to a group format during their counseling had higher marital satisfaction than those who had just participated in a one-on-one format with a counselor.

Premarital fertility, that is, childbearing before first marriage, is an important yet under researched demographic topic in sub-Saharan Africa. In Zimbabwe, the distinction by marital status in fertility research is hardly drawn. Hence, a gap exists in the knowledge of premarital fertility levels. This research aims to investigate levels of, and factors associated with, premarital fertility since the onset of Zimbabwe's fertility transition in the mid-1980s. The research employed direct fertility estimation techniques to effectively compare premarital, marital, and overall fertility trends between 1988 and 2015. Cox proportional-hazards regression and forest plot analyses were then used to explain changes in factors associated with the timing of premarital first births over the same period. Data quality assessments were carried out using the method of cohortperiod fertility rates to provide explanations for any erratic results. The results showed that premarital fertility was constant and moderate, with an average of 0.7 children per woman, between 1988 and 2015. While most premarital first births consistently occurred to younger women, from 2005 onwards, they increased among women aged above 24 years and decreased among adolescents. An increase in age, commencing sexual activity after adolescence, and improved socio-economic status including level of education decreased the relative risk of having a premarital first birth. However, delaying marriage past young womanhood, history of contraceptive use, Ndebele ethnicity, and residence in regions other than Manicaland and Masvingo, especially Ndebele dominated regions, increased the same risk by 465.0%, 45.5%, 136.0% and up to 135.0% respectively. The stagnation of premarital fertility between 1988 and 2015 while both marital and overall fertility first declined and then stalled indicates that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that premarital fertility had contributed to the stall of fertility decline in Zimbabwe from the mid-1990s. The timing of premarital first births since the start of the fertility transition in the 1980s has had a strong ethnic and cultural bias. Due to evidence of the effect of migrancy and tourism on premarital fertility in border and tourism towns, an extension into the theory of migrant premarital sexual behaviour to detail the risk of premarital fertility among border town residents who interact with but are neither migrants nor tourists is recommended.

A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND In partial fulfilment for the degree MASTER OF ARTS IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY in the Department of Psychology, 1988. / The researcher's aim in this study was to identify and compare the attitudes of adolescents, parents and grandparents towards three adolescent problem variables. The researcher's point of departure was to review relevant literature on the generation gap phenomenon, adolescent premarital sexual relations, delinquent behaviour and the use of alcoholic beverages. A. Likert-type scale was constructed to measure the attitudes of adolescents, parents and grandparents towards adolescent premarital sexual relations) delinquent behaviour and use of alcoholic beverages. Three samples comprising 30 adolescents, 30 parents and 30 grandparents were randomly selected from the seven wards/ sections of the 42 Hill Location, Harrismith. Respondents were from the Zulu, South-Sotho, Tswana .and Xhosa ethnic groups. Illiterate and educated subjects were included in the study. The t-test and Chi-Square (ifi test results highlighted significant differences between the attitudes of adolescents and parents towards premarital sexual relations. The differences between the attitudes of adolescents and those of grandparents towards this variable were also significant:. The attitudes of parents and grandparents towards premarital sexual relations were not significantly different. These findings tended to support previous research studies which stated that parents and grandparents were traditionally more conservative in their attitude towards sexuality than were adolescents. Modern adolescents who lived in a society where sex was discussed more openly seemed to feel that they should engage in premarital sexual relations. It seemed the generation gap between adolescents and parents,and to a greater extent between adolescent and grandparent, had increased. Results indicated insignificant differences between the attitudes of adolescents, parents and grandparents towards adolescent delinquent behaviour. All three generations seemed to agree that modern adolescents acquired much information from their friends. In a modern rapidly changing South African society, traditional authority seemed to have lost most of its impact on the adolescent's bahaviour. Adolescents seemed to believe that parents had failed to change the socio¬political situation hence they had to take the lead. Parents themselves seemed to be puzzled and confused by the rapidly changing, contemporary, technocratic and violently divided society. Significant differences between the adolescent and parent attitudes and between adolescent and grandparent attitudes towards adolescent use of alcoholic beverages were indicated in this study. The insignificant differences between the attitudes of parents and grandparents towards this variable seemed to indicate that parents and grandparents were against adolescent use of alcoholic beverages. On the other hand, adolescents seemed to feel that they should indulge in drinking alcoholic beverages. In the modern South African society, adolescents saw liquor advertised on television and in literature and thus indulged in drinking alcoholic beverages. It was recommended that whatever the desired politico-social change, both parents and adolescents could be made aware that communication and dialogue between them are a sine-qua-non towards the solution and alleviation of their problems. Parents may be motivated to discuss with adolescents their views and feelings about premarital sexual relations and vice versa. The dialogue could be encouraged in public meetings, seminars, on television and radio. Parents could be encouraged to listen to the views of adolescents in order to guide them. Parents may be made to accept the fact that adolescents live during a time and in a society where they may express both their positive and negative opinions regarding certain issues. Community programmes such as therapeutic groups, youth clubs and recreation clubs could provide adolescents with an opportunity of expressing their views, developing their social skills and improving relationships with others. Information concerning problems that are associated with the use of alcoholic beverages could be made available to adolescents during the discussions and advertisements. The aim could be to assist adolescents to cope with problems and to feel happy without indulging in drinking alcoholic beverages.