A Multilevel Analysis of the Effectiveness of Seoul Premarital Education Program: The Role of Participant and Implementation Characteristics

This study examined the associations between participant- and implementation-level characteristics and two dimensions of premarital readiness, namely, knowledge/skills and behavioral readiness, within the Seoul Premarital Education Program (S-PEP) implemented at Family Centers. Using multilevel modeling, we analyzed data from 170 individuals nested within 15 S-PEP groups delivered via videoconferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participant-level characteristics (Level 1) included gender, age, educational attainment, relationship duration, and program satisfaction. Meanwhile, implementation-level characteristics (Level 2) were the number of sessions, group size, manual adherence, and staff job satisfaction. After controlling for pre-test scores, younger age, higher program satisfaction, a greater number of sessions, and higher staff job satisfaction were associated with higher post-program knowledge/skills readiness. Regarding, behavioral readiness, younger age, higher program satisfaction, higher educational attainment, a greater number of sessions, and higher staff job satisfaction were positively associated with post-program behavioral readiness. Interestingly, lower manual adherence was associated with higher post-program behavioral readiness. These findings suggest that cognitiveskill acquisition and behavioral change in premarital contexts may necessitate distinct implementation strategies. Furthermore, the results highlight the critical role of practitioner well-being and suggest that revisiting and refining program manuals may further enhance the effectiveness of premarital interventions.