Wellness of Married Couples

The National Center for Health Statistics (2001) announced in its news releases that ¿one in three first marriages end within 10 years and one in five end within 5 years¿ (p. 1). Divorce has a devastating effect on the life of the divorced, their children, and families. Marriage has multifaceted benefits for the individuals and families (Maher, 2000). The orientation toward wellness and prevention of mental illness has been the central theme in the field of counseling. Therefore, this researcher conducted a statistical analysis of the difference between the Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) team couples and one-time participant couples on marital satisfaction, work motivation, couple activities, and the relationships among these variables. The WWME was chosen, because it is currently considered to be the largest marriage enrichment movement in the world. The results of the study validate the principles of the Sound Marital House theory and Self-Determination theory. The results of the study also validate the goals and objectives of the WWME.