Marital Attitudes According To The Marital Messages of University Students From Various Sources

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine whether single university students’ marital attitudes change according to the marital messages they receive from marital message sources such as friends, media, family, and other institutions. To this end, Marital Messages Scale (MMS) and Inonu Marital Attitudes Scale (IMAS) were applied to a total of 1013 university students (654 female and 359 male) enrolled at a state university in Ankara during the 2018-2019 academic year. Convenience sampling was used to reach students. Data obtained from the measuring tools were evaluated by using SPSS 23.0. T test was used in the comparison of binary groups in data analysis. When there was a significant difference between groups, impact magnitude statistics was examined by calculating the Cohen d. At the end of the study, it was found out that students who receive high level positive marital messages from their families, friends, media, and other institutions have a more positive marital attitude compared to those university students who receive a low level of positive message from these sources. Findings of the study was discussed in relation to the literature; suggestions were made for researchers, applicators, and policy makers.