A scripture-based marital satisfaction enhancement program: It's effectiveness

• Main Author: Nacionales, Phebe R.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1999
• Subjects: Satisfaction; Marriage; Couples; Husband and wife; Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/878
• Institution: De La Salle University

A Scripture-based Marital Satisfaction Enhancement Program (MSEP): Its Effectiveness is a two-pronged study. The first part is on the concepts on marital satisfaction of selected 24 satisfied and 23 dissatisfied Filipino couples, their most common problems and the ways with which they deal with their problems. These are elicited through focused group discussions and integrated into the Marital Satisfaction Enhancement Program (MSEP), a 5-Saturday, 4-5 hour per session, Bible-based intervention program designed to assist couples in the reduction of such problems and improve marital satisfaction. The other part of the study is the experimentation of the effectiveness of MSEP.The subjects were 20 Bible-believing couples, who were within the first five years of their marriage and residents of Catbalogan, Samar and its vicinity. Through random sampling, the couples were divided into the experimental group (10 couples) and control group (10 couples). This study was conducted in a college at Catbalogan, Samar on a five-Saturday spread from January 13 to February 10, 1996. The Marital Satisfaction Inventory for Filipino Couples (MSIFC) were the instruments used to measure the effects of the program. The two-way repeated measure design (t-test) was the statistical treatment used. The findings show that marital satisfaction, to the Filipino couples, means feeling happy and contented with one's marriage because of the preeminence and expression of love and care in a harmonious relationship between the husband and wife. Their most common problems are the following: finances, lack of appreciation and being taken for granted, communication, lack of love, lack of sharing of opinions in decision-making/problem-solving, sex, differences in beliefs/views, dealing with in-laws, vices and health. They use both positive and negative ways in handling their problems. As regards the experimentation on MSEP, the experimental group report significant difference one week after the program and one month after the program in the marital areas of appreciation of each other, communication, decision-making/problem-solving, sexual relationship, financial management and intimacy. The control group report no significant changes. Between the husbands and wives in the experimental group, the husbands have the greater changes. As regards MSEP, it is effective in reducing problems on lack of appreciation, communication, finances, problem-solving/decision-making and intimacy and improving marital satisfaction. To the Filipino couples, marital satisfaction is being happy and contented with one's marriage because of a mutually loving and harmonious relationship between husband and wife. As to the ways of handling their problems, the couples use both positive and negative means.