Marriage preparation, pastoral accompaniment, and relationship quality among migrant and intercultural couples in the Netherlands

drs. Ward Biemans SJ

Tilburg School of Catholic Theology

Abstract

This quantitative survey among migrant and intercultural couples in the Netherlands investigates the relationships between marriage preparation, pastoral accompaniment and relationship quality. Relationship quality may be negatively influenced by a process of cultural transition, by instability of the relationship itself or by underdeveloped communication skills between partners. Participants (n=223) have been married in the Catholic Church between 1995 and 2021. Correlations between various religious and spiritual activities and relationship quality have been calculated through linear regression analysis. Results show that overall, migrant couples and intercultural couples appreciate a more intensive, professional, and welcoming Marriage and Relationship Education (MRE) and pastoral accompaniment after marriage. It is also concluded that seeking reconciliation after a conflict (r=0.361) and experiencing forgiveness from one's spouse (r=0.188) are significantly associated with a higher perceived relationship quality. Finally, data indicate that migrants with a non-Western cultural background show a significant pattern of cultural defence (μ=-0,375) in comparison to Dutch people.

Keywords:

marriage accompaniment, migrants, intercultural couples, relationship quality, integration

Aarskaug Wiik, K., Keizer R., and Lappegård, T. (2012) ‘Relationship Quality in Marital and Cohabiting Unions Across Europe’, Journal of Marriage and Family 74(3), pp. 389–398. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2012.00967.x.
  Google Scholar

Aleksynska, M. and Chiswick, B.R. (2011) Religiosity and Migration: Travel into One’s Self Versus Travel Across Cultures. Bonn: IZA.
  Google Scholar

Bhugun, D. (2019) Intercultural Parenting and Relationships. Challenges and Rewards. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
  Google Scholar

Biemans, W. (2021) ‘Pastoral Accompaniment of Couples Before and After Marriage’, Marriage, Families & Spirituality 27(2), pp. 196–212. doi:10.2143/INT.27.2.3289974.
  Google Scholar

Bruce, S. (2011) Secularization: in defence of an unfashionable theory. Oxford: University Press.
  Google Scholar

CBCEW (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales). (2016) Guidelines for the Preparation of Couples for Marriage. Londen: Catholic Trust for England & Wales.
  Google Scholar

CBS (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek). (2022) Immigration to the Netherlands [Online]. Available at: https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/dossier/dossier-asiel-migratie-en-integratie/hoeveel-immigranten-komen-naar-nederland (Accessed 31 March 2023).
  Google Scholar

Derks, F. and Sremac, S. (2020) ‘Negotiating the sacred: the lived religion of Eritrean newcomers and their process of integration in the Netherlands’, Practical Theology, 13(6), pp. 594–608, doi:10.1080/1756073X.2020.1792638.
  Google Scholar

Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. (2022) Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life. Pastoral guidelines for local churches. Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
  Google Scholar

Francis (2016) Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia. Vatican: Vatican Press.
  Google Scholar

Francis (2018) Message for 2018 World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Vatican: Vatican Press.
  Google Scholar

Gray, M.M. (2013) ‘Divorce Still Less Likely among Catholics’ [Online]. Available at: http://nineteensixty-four.blogspot.ca/2013/09/divorce-still-less-likely-among.html. (Accessed 4 April 2023).
  Google Scholar

Härkönen, J., Bernardi, F. and Boertien, D. (2017) ‘Family Dynamics and Child Outcomes: An Overview of Research and Open Questions’, European Journal of Population 33, pp. 163–184. doi:10.1007/s10680-017-9424-6.
  Google Scholar

Hart, J. de, and Houwelingen, P. van, (2018) Christenen in Nederland. Kerkelijke deelname en christelijke gelovigheid. Den Haag: Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau.
  Google Scholar

Hawkins, A.J., Stanley, S.M., Blanchard, V.L. and Albright, M. (2012) ‘Exploring Programmatic Moderators of the Effectiveness of Marriage and Relationship Education Programs: A Meta-Analytic Study’, Behavior Therapy, 43, p. 77–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2010.12.006.
  Google Scholar

Kamiński, J. (2011), ‘Przygotowanie do małżeństwa i życia w rodzinie na przykładzie diecezji Płockiej’, Wrocławski Przegląd Teologiczny, 19(2), pp. 119–136. doi: 10.34839/wpt.2011.19.2.119-136.
  Google Scholar

KDC (Katholiek Documentatiecentrum). (2021) Database Catholic Migrants [Online]. Available at: https://www.ru.nl/kdc/database-katholieke-migranten/. (Accessed 3 April 2023) To this date, the database is only accessible on request.
  Google Scholar

KEP (Konferencja Episkopatu Polski, Conference of Polish Bishops). (2003) Dyrektorium Duszpasterstwa Rodzin (Directory of Family Pastoral Care). Warsaw: KEP.
  Google Scholar

Khoudja, Y. (2022) ‘Religious trajectories of immigrants in the first years after migration’, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 61(2), pp. 507–529.
  Google Scholar

Kregting, J. (2022) Kerncijfers Rooms-Katholieke Kerk 2021. Nijmegen: Kaski.
  Google Scholar

Kreidl, M., Štípková, M. and Hubatková, B. (2017) ‘Parental separation and children’s education in a comparative perspective: Does the burden disappear when separation is more common?’, Demographic Research 36(3), pp. 73–110.
  Google Scholar

Lichter, D.T. and Carmalt, J.H. (2009) ‘Religion and marital quality among low-income couples’, Social Science Research 38, pp. 168–187. doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2008.07.003.
  Google Scholar

Maier, K., Konaszewski, K., Skalski, S.B., Büssing, A. and Surzykiewicz, J. (2022) ‘Spiritual Needs, Religious Coping and Mental Wellbeing: A Cross-Sectional Study among Migrants and Refugees in Germany’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), p. 3415. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063415.
  Google Scholar

Markman, H.J. and Rhoades, G.K. (2012) ‘Relationship Education Research. Current Status and Future Directions’, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 38(1), p. 169–200.
  Google Scholar

Olson, J.R., Marshall, J.P., Wallace Goddard, H. and Schramm, D.G. (2015) ‘Shared Religious Beliefs, Prayer, and Forgiveness as Predictors of Marital Satisfaction’, Family relations 64(October), pp. 519–533. doi:10.1111/fare.12129.
  Google Scholar

Owen, J.J., Rhoades, G.K., Stanley, S.M. and Markman, H.J. (2011) ‘The Role of Leaders’ Working Alliance in Premarital Education’, Journal of Family Psychology 25(1), p. 49–57. doi:10.1037/a0022084.
  Google Scholar

Perrin, R.H. (2020) Changing Shape. The Faith Lives of Millennials. London: SCM Press.
  Google Scholar

Pufal-Struzik, I., Sordyl-Lipnicka, B. and Duda, M. (2021) ‘Parents’ economic migration and the psychological well-being of their Polish children’, Family Forum 2021. doi: 10.25167/FF/3507.
  Google Scholar

Reuver, R. de and Nagy, D. et al. (2018) Van migant tot naaste. Plaatsmaken voor jezelf. Utrecht: Kok Boekencentrum.
  Google Scholar

Scheule, R. (2023) Schönster Tag, undeutliches Sakrament. Was Brautleute denken. Stimmen der Zeit 2, pp. 119–130.
  Google Scholar

Spielhofer, T., Corlyon, J., Stock, L., Gieve, M., Durbin, B. and Smith, M. (2014) Relationship Support Interventions Evaluation London: Department for Education.
  Google Scholar

Stanley, S.M., Amato, P.R., Johnson, C.A. and Markman, H.J. (2006) ‘Premarital education, marital quality, and marital stability: Findings from a large, random household survey’, Journal of Family Psychology 20, p. 117–126. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.20.1.117.
  Google Scholar

Tulud Cruz, G. (2010) An intercultural theology of migration: Pilgrims in the wilderness. Leiden: Brill.
  Google Scholar

Wijsen, F. (2009), ‘Global Christianity: A European Perspective’, Exchange 38, pp. 147–160. doi:10.1163/157254309X425382.
  Google Scholar

Wilcox, W.B. and Wolfinger, N.H. (2008) ‘Living and loving “decent”: Religion and relationship quality among urban parents’, Social Science Research 37 p. 828–843. doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2007.11.001.
  Google Scholar

Download


Published
2024-01-27

Cited by

Biemans, W. (2024). Marriage preparation, pastoral accompaniment, and relationship quality among migrant and intercultural couples in the Netherlands . Family Forum, 13, 153–171. https://doi.org/10.25167/FF/5085

Authors

drs. Ward Biemans SJ 

Ward Biemans (* 1971) is a Dutch priest from the Society of Jesus. He is an external PhD-student at Tilburg University, Tilburg School of Catholic Theology. Currently he is working on a practical theological research on pastoral accompaniment of migrant and intercultural couples before and after marriage in the Catholic Church in the Netherlands. In 2016, he published: The Heart and the Abyss – Preventing Abortion (Ballarat: Connor Court, 390 p.) E-mail and ORCID: w.j.a.biemans@uvt.nl; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3971-7717



Statistics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.


License

Copyright (c) 2024 Family Forum

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.