“There is no greater risk than Matrimony, but there is nothing happier than a Happy Marriage”- Benjamin Disraeli

The following are warning signs of a problem marriage. The more characteristics that are true, the higher the potential for marriage problems.

  1. The Couple meets or marries shortly after a significant loss.
  2. The wish to distance oneself from one’s family of origin is a factor in the marriage.
  3. The family backgrounds of each spouse are significantly different (religion, education, social class, ethnicity, and the age of the partners.
  4. The spouses come from incompatible sibling constellations.
  5. The couple resides either extremely close to or at a great distance from either family of origin.
  6. The couple depends on either extended family financially, physically, or emotionally.
  7. The couple marries before age 20 or in the late ’30s.
  8. The couple marries after an acquaintanceship of fewer than 6 months or after more than 3 years of engagement.
  9. The wedding occurs without family or friends present.
  10. The wife becomes pregnant before marriage or within the first year of marriage.
  11. Either spouse has a poor relationship with siblings or parents.
  12. Either spouse considers his or her childhood or adolescence an unhappy time.
  13. Marital patterns in either extended family were unstable.