The Role of Premarital Counseling in Marital Commitment, Intimacy, and Positive Interactions Among Couples: A Cross-sectional Correlational Study in Zahedan

Abstract

Background and Objective: The increasing prevalence of marital conflicts and rising divorce rates have highlighted the need for preventive interventions such as premarital counseling. This study examined the association between perceived effectiveness of premarital counseling and marital commitment, intimacy, and positive interactions among couples. Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted on 30 married couples (60 individuals) residing in Zahedan, Iran, selected through convenience sampling. Analyses were performed at the couple level (n = 30 couples) by aggregating spouses’ scores. Validated Persian versions of the instruments were used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression in SPSS (version 26). Results: Counseling effectiveness was positively correlated with marital commitment (r = 0.56, 95% CI 0.25 - 0.77, P = 0.001), marital intimacy (r = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.33 - 0.80, P < 0.001), and positive interactions (r = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.42 - 0.84, P < 0.001). In simple regression models, counseling effectiveness accounted for 31%, 38%, and 46% of the variance in commitment, intimacy, and positive interactions, respectively (all P ≤ 0.001). Conclusions: Higher perceived effectiveness of premarital counseling was associated with higher levels of marital commitment, intimacy, and positive interactions among couples. Given the cross-sectional correlational design, the findings do not support causal inference.