Abstract:
Pre-marital preparation has been designed for couples prior to marriage and aimed at
preventing future distress in marriage by providing an awareness of potential
problems that may occur, and to foster the growth and satisfaction of marital unions.
Pre-marital preparation comes in different forms in Ghana, including that of the
family, community and religious bodies. This study focuses on counselling, which is
one aspect of pre-marital preparation systems Christians offer to the would be couples
before they get married. In most Ghanaian churches, pre-marital preparation has been
a core component of the church socialization process. It has been viewed by churches
as an effective means of reducing the high rate of divorce. In view of this, it becomes
a social cause of worry when there is frequent breakdown in marriages among
Christians. This trend however, appears to be common among Christians in Ghana
and elsewhere in the World. It is against this backdrop of concern of the growing level
of marital distortion among church members that prompted the attention of the
researcher to investigate the effectiveness of pre-marital counselling on marital
stability in Ada community using Kasseh as case study. The study employed the
qualitative research approach and a case study design with information derived from
participants, using purposive and convenient sampling techniques. The study uses
data from interviews derived from leaders in six churches, twenty-one Christian
couples and relay on documents to do the analysis. The study revealed that the
churches have laid down processes to ensure successful counselling to their would-be
married couples. The study therefore, recommends other forms of pre-marital systems
be studied to unearth where the problem of high divorce rate emanates. It also
recommends the establishment of marriage institution and adequate parenting as a
way of curbing the rising trends of marital breakdowns in Ghana.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Social Studies Education,
Faculty of Social Sciences Education, Submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies, in Partial Fulfilment
of the requirements for the Award of Degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Social Studies Education)
in the University of Education, Winneba
