The Perceived Benefits of the Premarital Mentorship Program: Mentor Couples' Perspectives
Location
DeSantis Room 2057
Format Type
Plenary
Format Type
Paper
Start Date
16-1-2020 5:00 PM
End Date
16-1-2020 5:20 PM
Abstract
Premarital counseling has been empirically shown to potentially aid in marriage preparation and long-term success (Baucom et. al., 2015), but little research has been conducted regarding the effect of premarital mentoring. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the experience of the mentors in a Fit To Be Tied marriage mentoring program at a Midwestern, selective, comprehensive university. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 heterosexual mentors and internal validity for the study was enhanced through member checking, generating a data audit, and the use of an independent reviewer. Three themes that emerged after having coded and analyzed the transcript data. (1) Mentors in the study reported that the one-on-one meetings with the respective mentees were the most impactful element of the program (e.g., more important than the program’s lectures and assessments). (2) The mentors believed that the program has improved their own respective marital relationships. (3) The mentors described various lessons that they hope to teach their respective mentee couples and various shared-hoped-for-outcomes. Implications of the study include how premarital mentoring can potentially work in conjunction with premarital counseling in order to better prepare couples as they begin their journey to marriage. Limitations of the study include a lack of ethnic diversity among the participants and the study included only around one-quarter of all the program’s mentors. Future research could include how premarital mentorship strengthens the relationship between the mentor couple as well as the mentee couple.
Keywords
Premarital counseling, Mentorship, Preparation for Marriage
The Perceived Benefits of the Premarital Mentorship Program: Mentor Couples' Perspectives
DeSantis Room 2057
Premarital counseling has been empirically shown to potentially aid in marriage preparation and long-term success (Baucom et. al., 2015), but little research has been conducted regarding the effect of premarital mentoring. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the experience of the mentors in a Fit To Be Tied marriage mentoring program at a Midwestern, selective, comprehensive university. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 heterosexual mentors and internal validity for the study was enhanced through member checking, generating a data audit, and the use of an independent reviewer. Three themes that emerged after having coded and analyzed the transcript data. (1) Mentors in the study reported that the one-on-one meetings with the respective mentees were the most impactful element of the program (e.g., more important than the program’s lectures and assessments). (2) The mentors believed that the program has improved their own respective marital relationships. (3) The mentors described various lessons that they hope to teach their respective mentee couples and various shared-hoped-for-outcomes. Implications of the study include how premarital mentoring can potentially work in conjunction with premarital counseling in order to better prepare couples as they begin their journey to marriage. Limitations of the study include a lack of ethnic diversity among the participants and the study included only around one-quarter of all the program’s mentors. Future research could include how premarital mentorship strengthens the relationship between the mentor couple as well as the mentee couple.