Understanding Marriage: A Hong Kong Case Study

Chapter Two. The Hong Kong Marital Study

Chapter Two The Hong Kong Marital Study This chapter presents the Hong Kong Marital Study, and assesses the reliability, validity and discriminant capacity of the three self report measures adopted in the study. These are the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, ENRICH, and the Marital Comparison Level Index package of scales. The findings which differentiate adjusted and non-adjusted spouses are analysed to identify subscales or scale items with high discriminant capacity and therefore of particular relevance to Chinese couples in the sample. These are highlighted as they constitute the basis for the development of assessment measures for appl ication in Hong Kong. Deriving Assessment Measures for Hong Kong The main focus of the Hong Kong Marital Study is to identify and describe patterns of marital transactions in Hong Kong marriages. These patterns are drawn from the accounts provided by the husbands and wives through the use of self report measures and in their responses during interviews. This material has been organized and analysed to reflect the couple's evaluation of the relationship. The study presents the couple's own definition of what constitutes a happy mei mun marriage. The study tests the discriminant capacity, reliability and validity of the DAS, ENRICH and MCLI Packages, the three assessment measures selected for use in the Hong Kong Marital Study. The aim is to apply well-tested Western marital inventories to Asian marriages to determine their appli- 30 The Hong Kong Marital Study cability and relevance in cross-cultural transfer. Through this exercise, the intention is to derive assessment measures suitable for clinical practice in Hong Kong. Secondly, the information acquired has been analysed to differentiate various patterns of marital interaction that reflect the experiences of spouses in contemporary Hong Kong. Third, the empirical data is further analysed to examine the implications of adopting an interdependence framework for understanding marriage in Hong Kong. The sample of the Hong Kong marital study Research on intimate pair relationships such as marriage requires the particpation of both partners. In developing the sample, it was essential to obtain the willing cooperation of both husband and wife in a review of their marriage. The criteria for inclusion in the sample was that both husband and wife agreed to attend two interviewing sessions and to complete a package of self-rating measures. The sample was formed from couples who were currently undergoing marriage counselling at the Hong Kong Family Society, the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council, the Caritas Family Service and the Hong Kong Christian Service, who were invited to participate in an in-depth review of their marriages. Fifty-two couples from these agencies agreed to participate. To ensure that the sample comprised not only couples who had sought help over their marriages but also those who had not, married people from other community agencies were also invited to assist in the research, and another 50 volunteers were recruited from community groups. These included parents whose children were members of the Boys and Girls Clubs Association, participants from Family Life Education groups conducted by the Family Welfare Society, Caritas, and the Christian Service. This method of recruitment resulted in a non-probability purposive sample of 102 couples. Demographic characteristics of the couples The 102 couples in the Hong Kong sample had been married a mean of 9.13 years. The husbands' mean age was 37.4 years; the wives' mean age, 34 years. The mean household monthly income was $9461. Of the 204 spouses, 11.8% had been educated to university level, 63.3% to the level of secondary school or technical training, and 25% had primary school education or no education. The Hong Kong 1991 Population Census (Hong Kong Government, 1991) gives percentage figures of 11.3% with university education, 50.7% secondary school to matriculation, and 38% primary school. The couples in the sample thus had higher educational The Hong Kong Marital Study 31 attainment. Employment-wise, a larger proportion were In the professional and skilled occupations, with 33.5% of the sample in professional, business or managerial occupations; 40.3% were in clerical, sales, services and production occupations; 25% were homemakers; and l.5% were unemployed (one for health reasons; one retired; one an ivory carver in transition to alternative employment). A large percentage, 8l.4% of the couples were at the stage of having school age children. The mean number of children was 2 per couple. The mean number of months that the couples...