Growing Need for Premarital Counseling

Only one-fifth of Iranians are aware of the services provided by the State Welfare Organization to improve the quality of life, said Habibollah Masoudi Farid, deputy head of the SWO, on Tuesday.

Many people enroll in different training programs and receive certificates to prepare themselves for their future. “But they don’t do much to prepare themselves for marriage,” IRNA quoted him as saying on the sidelines of the National Conference on Ending Violence Against Women, at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.  

“In the fiscal year that ended in March 2016, around 680,000 marriages were registered in the country, while only around 20% of the couples received premarital counseling,” he said. Studies indicate that couples who receive premarital counseling usually stick together in thick and thin.

He also urged for greater attention to classes on marriage education which can have significant impact on the quality of marital life.

“Such classes are not free, but it has been seen that many people allocate time, money and energy to less important training courses,” he noted.

Permits have been issued to some centers to offer marital education programs where life skills and communication tools are taught.

Marital education courses have proved effective in reducing conflicts and domestic violence, and enhancing happiness and stability among couples. A recent study conducted by the SWO suggested that couples who had participated in premarital courses experienced 65% less conflict in their first years of marital life.

Currently, from every 4.2 marriages in the country, one ends in divorce and most of the divorces take place in the first five years of married life.

“Problems of domestic violence can be solved only through a change of cultural and social norms and mindsets, as well as improving economic conditions.”

Vice-President for Women and Family Affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi, UN resident representative Garry Lewis, and MPs and university professors attended the one-day meeting.   

 Psychological Disorders

Masoudi Farid of the SWO referred to a survey conducted by the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and said, Almost 50% of psychological disorders begin before the age of 14, and 75% before the age of 24. Having a psychological disorder is directly related to aggressive and violent behavior.”According to recent official data, 23.6% of Iranians between the ages 15 to 65 have a psychological disorder which has negatively affected the quality of their lives and they are in need of psychological interventions.

The SWO has issued permits for 2,000 counseling and psychological treatment centers across the country.