Comparing Empirical Typologies of Premarital Couples from Four Chinese Countries and American Premarital Couples

This study developed an empirical couple typology using a convenient sample of premarital Chinese couples from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan and compared that typology with a premarital American couple typology. Cluster analyses were conducted with a sample of 7,567 premarital Chinese couples who completed the PREPARE inventory. Results identified four types of premarital Chinese couples: Vitalized, Harmonious, Traditional, and Conflicted. As hypothesized, the four premarital couple types were replicated across the Chinese and American samples, but the frequency of couples in each type differed. Couple typologies can be used to recommend premarital preparation approaches that fit each of the four couple types.