EARLY MARRIAGE AND PARENTING READINESS: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW FROM A GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Early marriage among adolescents remains a complex and far-reaching social phenomenon. Emotional immaturity, lack of parenting knowledge, and social-economic pressures are among the key factors that affect the quality of parenting among young couples. This study aims to explore the relationship between early marriage and parenting readiness, as well as the strategic role of Guidance and Counseling (GC) in supporting adolescent development and responsible parenting. This research uses a systematic literature review method based on the PRISMA approach, analyzing six selected scholarly articles from an initial search result of over 83,000 documents on Google Scholar. The findings indicate that young couples often apply maladaptive parenting stylessuch as permissive or authoritarian due to emotional instability and limited parental knowledge. These parenting patterns have significant impacts not only on the parents themselves but also on their children, who are at risk of experiencing delayed emotional development, behavioral issues, and weak social adaptation. Guidance and Counseling services play a crucial role in providing both educational and psychological support through premarital counseling, family therapy, and value-based moral education. With a collaborative approach involving schools, families, and communities, GC interventions can help prevent early marriage and promote healthier and more responsible parenting among young couples.