Lifting the Veil

Exploring Premarital Hesitation and Engagement Dissolution Consideration

Bibliographic Data

ID19001968
AuthorsJ K Monk (0000-0002-5739-5635, University of Missouri Columbia Missouri USA, corresponding author), Tyler Jamison (University of New Hampshire Durham New Hampshire USA), Tyler B Jamison (0000-0002-4653-2796, University of New Hampshire), Matthew A Ogan (0000-0001-5812-9649, University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee USA), Karen E Talley (0000-0003-4212-5939, University of Missouri Columbia Missouri USA), Dawson E Boron (0000-0002-1557-3675, University of Missouri Columbia Missouri USA), Jennifer L Harper (0009-0004-5871-1507, University of Missouri Columbia Missouri USA), Amber Haas (University of Missouri Columbia Missouri USA), Lauren Huff (University of Missouri Columbia Missouri USA)
Year2025
Volume87
Issue5
Pages2027-2041
Publication date2025-05-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Marriage and the Family (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-2445 • E-ISSN: 1741-3737
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jomf.13113
OpenAlexW4410038187
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited82

Objective This study examines real‐time narratives from online forum users to understand their experiences with premarital uncertainty and gain insight into the decision‐making process around dissolving wedding engagements. Background Issues that lead to marital dissolution often emerge early in relationships, making the engagement period a critical phase to address concerns before the legal and emotional complexities of marriage arise. Informed by interdependence and relational turbulence theories, this study investigated how engaged individuals articulate their premarital uncertainties and potential dissolution considerations during the engagement period. Methods Using a grounded theory approach, we analyzed data from 36 Reddit posts about premarital hesitation, alongside 2213 associated comments, from 1535 unique individuals. Results Original posters (OPs) struggled with concerns about the future of their relationships while expressing ongoing feelings of love and commitment to their partners. Commenters validated OPs' concerns and encouraged them to visualize their future marriage. Conclusion We uncovered a premarital hesitation process characterized by emotional ambivalence, reappraisals of the past, and conjecture about the future. Using Reddit data revealed the complexities of stay/leave decisions and the potential role that outsiders can play in responding to relational uncertainty. This rich, naturally occurring dialogue offers rare insights into relationship dynamics that are often elusive in traditional research. Implications Premarital educators and clinicians should consider how couples may be seeking relationship advice in non‐therapeutic spaces. Additionally, researchers could further leverage online forums to collect data from populations that are difficult to reach through conventional methods

Dissolution · Sociology · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Engineering · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Psychology · Social Psychology