Evaluating the Effectiveness of Premarital Prevention Programs: A Meta‐Analytic Review of Outcome Research

We present a comprehensive, meta‐analytic review and critical evaluation of outcome research pertaining to the effectiveness of premarital prevention programs. Results revealed that the mean effect size for premarital programs was .80, which means that the average person who participated in a premarital prevention program was significantly better off afterwards than 79% of people who did not participate. Stated differently, the average participant in a premarital program tends to experience about a 30% increase in measures of outcome success. Our findings suggest that premarital prevention programs are generally effective in producing immediate and short‐term gains in interpersonal skills and overall relationship quality and that these improvements are significantly better than nonintervention couples in these areas. However, because of a lack of extended follow‐up research, conclusions about long‐term effectiveness remain elusive. We propose implications for future research, education, and policy.     

Sexual and Reproductive Health （SRH） Problems among the Unmarried Youths in Sub-urban Shanghai： Needs for RH Education and Services

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Sexual activities and attitudes of adolescent Koreans

Data regarding the sexual behaviors of 849 Korean adolescents ( years) were collected. Behaviors reported for males vs. females were 36.5 vs. 27.0% for kissing, 27.2 vs. 14.8% for petting, and 22.9 vs. 9.8% for coitus. In addition to reporting a greater number of experiences, males reported a greater number of partners for all three behavior categories. Among those who participated in coitus, nearly one third of the males and two thirds of the females reported only one partner. Two thirds of the males considered their recent experiences with coitus to be satisfactory, whereas over half of the females gave a neutral response. About 37% of males and 55% of females reported that their most recent coital experience was less than a month ago. On average, the coitally active adolescents began sexual activity at about 18 years of age. Interpretations of these data must take into consideration the respondents' hesitancy in the Korean setting to admit to having sexual experiences. Because premarital sex for adolescents is considered very undesirable in the Korean social setting, the respondents' reporting bias might be in the direction of underreporting. Findings are discussed in the context of unplanned pregnancy and abortion. This investigation was supported by the Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, World Health Organization, Project No. 91207 BSDA.     

Premarital sexual attitudes of unmarried university students: 1968 vs. 1972

Information on premarital sexual attitudes of unmarried undergraduates was obtained from random samples on the same campus in 1968 and 1972. Students in 1972, compared with those in 1968, reported (1) more permissive attitudes toward premarital sexual behavior (both men and women), (2) fewer differences in attitudes between men and women, and (3) less adherence to the double standard. In contrast to earlier research on premarital sexual attitudes, these differences need not be due to the markedly different populations compared, or generalizable only to sociology and psychology students, or indicative of only those who chose to volunteer for study (volunteer bias).This research received support from the Institute for Research in Social Science and the University Research Council, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.     

Characteristics of Individuals Associated with Involvement in Different Types of Marriage Preparation Interventions

Recent research has shed light broadly on the individual, couple, and contextual characteristics of audiences that are predictive of their involvement in marriage preparation. This research investigates the individual personality characteristics and emotional readiness factors associated with the selection of specific types of marriage preparation interventions. Operating from an ecosystemic‐developmental perspective and the Five‐Factor model of personality, this study assessed eight individual personality and emotional health characteristics (anxiety, depression, extroversion, flexibility, kindness, maturity, organization, and self‐esteem) as predictors of involvement in each of four different kinds of marriage preparation interventions: premarital college classes, premarital counseling, self‐directed approaches, or premarital community workshops, among a sample of 1,461 participants. Logistic regression analysis revealed different patterns of prediction for each type of intervention. Latent profile analysis showed that distinguishing features of personality and emotional readiness typified participants in different interventions. Implications for the content and process of marriage preparation interventions are discussed.     

我国婚前保健工作发展态势分析

通过对我国婚前保健服务工作开展情况的回顾,以及对2000年以来全国妇幼卫生年报婚首保健情况报表资料的分析,从纵向上考察我国婚前保健服务工作的开展情况,特别是2003年以来婚检制度发生变化的新形势下,我国婚前保健工作的开展模式及婚前医学检查率的走向.     

应用不同方法在婚检中进行地中海贫血初筛及确诊的研究

目的 通过比较平均红细胞容积（MCV）、平均红细胞血红蛋白含量（MCH）的检测及与基因诊断相结合的检测方法，探讨对地中海贫血筛查的选择性和诊断的准确性。方法 以MCV与MCH的检测作初筛试验，以基因诊断试验作确诊试验，同时用MCV与MCH的检测和红细胞渗透脆性试验比较，用基因诊断试验和过去血红蛋白电泳比较。结果 对1852例婚检者做MCV与MCH的检测，筛选出237例地中海贫血阳性者，并进行基因诊断分析，发现地中海贫血145例，占7．83％，其中α-地中海贫血杂合子67例，占3．6％；β-地中海贫血携带者78例，占4．2％。而在红细胞脆性试验及血红蛋白电泳法中均出现不同程度的漏检。结论 在地中海贫血初筛中MCV与MCH的检测优于红细胞脆性试验，在确诊方法中基因诊断试验优于血红蛋白电泳。做好婚前和产前对地中海贫血的筛查、基因诊断，对预防和降低重型地中海贫血患儿出生具有重要意义。     

Sexual behavior among university students in Nigeria

Sexual behavior patterns among Nigerian university students and factors influencing them were studied. While premarital cohabitation is common, a large percentage (48%) had their first coital experience between the ages of 22 and 27. Religion does not appear to have a strong inhibiting influence on premarital sex, although it does affect the frequency of changing partners. Contraceptives, although known to almost all the respondents, are not widely used. The use of contraceptives had little influence on premarital cohabitation. Oral-genital, male-male, and female-female sexual practices are very uncommon.     

Predictors of premarital sexual activity among unmarried youth in Vientiane,Lao PDR: The role of parent–youth interactions and peer influence

Research indicates that adolescents in low-income countries have an early sexual debut and engage in risky sexual behaviours. Few studies in low-income countries however, have explored the factors that influence young people's sexual behaviours. This study examined individual, family and peer-level factors associated with premarital sexual behaviours in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR). A cross-sectional survey was undertaken with unmarried youth aged 18 to 24 years (N = 1200) in Vientiane Capital City. Logistic regression models, controlling for confounding variables, were employed to test for the contribution of factors influencing premarital sexual activity. Most respondents held positive attitudes towards premarital sex, with males having more liberal attitudes than females (mean score of 2.68 vs. 2.32, p < 0.001). Prevalence of premarital sexual activity was higher among males than females (44.7% and 19.2%, respectively). Predictors of premarital sex for males were age, sexual attitudes, perceived parental expectations regarding sex, dating and peer influence. For females, predictors were father's level of education, parent-youth sexual communication, peer influence and liberal sexual attitudes. The results highlight the role of parent-youth interaction and peer influence. The results suggest the need for a range of strategies at the individual, peer and family level, as well as a gender-specific focus.