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Happy, healthy, and wedded? How the transition to marriage affects mental and physical health.

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: = 168) to study changes within individuals over the transition to marriage on the same indicators. Six waves of mailed surveys spanning 20 months were employed. Findings of Study 2 indicated that although some indicators of mental and physical health were improving up until the point of marriage, these indicators then stabilized or began to decline, with women experiencing these declines more than men. Findings are more consistent with selection effects (i.e., better-adjusted individuals are more likely to get married) than social causation effects (i.e., marriage causes improvements in mental and physical health) and suggest that if marriage does have a causal effect on well-being in the short term, it may actually manifest in the lead-up to the wedding. Implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Source: Journal of Family Psychology

DOI: 10.1037/fam0000913

Authors: Charlie Huntington, Scott M. Stanley, Brian D. Doss, Galena K. Rhoades

Language: English

Topic: Family Dynamics and Relationships

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Award: The Role of Cohabitation in Marriage and Union Formation