Development of a Social Dimension of the Marriage Readiness Index for Public Health Screening Among Premarital Couples

Abstract

Social readiness is an essential component of marriage readiness because it influences couples’ ability to establish healthy relationships and maintain family resilience. However, no standardized instrument has comprehensively integrated social readiness into a multidimensional Marriage Readiness Index. This study aimed to develop and validate the Social Dimension of the Marriage Readiness Index among premarital couples using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). A cross-sectional study was conducted among 280 prospective brides and grooms registered at four Religious Affairs Offices in Malang Regency, East Java, Indonesia, between May and July 2025. Participants were recruited using consecutive sampling. The social dimension included six indicators: spirituality, relational commitment, communication skills, family background, perceived social support, and history of domestic violence. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using CFA to evaluate construct validity and estimate each indicator’s contribution. All five indicators significantly contributed to the latent construct (p<0.001). Spirituality showed the highest standardized factor loading (0.903), followed by relational commitment (0.703), communication skills (0.634), family background (0.624), and social support (0.564). These findings indicate that spirituality is the strongest component of social readiness, while the remaining indicators collectively represent interpersonal and social preparedness for marriage. The Social Dimension of the Marriage Readiness Index provides a culturally relevant and psychometrically supported instrument for assessing premarital social readiness. This index may strengthen premarital screening, support targeted counselling, and inform public health strategies to promote marital stability and family well-being in Indonesia.