The Effects of Marriage on Psychological Well-Being Focusing on Motherhood Status Prior to Marriage
Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: A substantial number of studies suggest that marriage provides psychological benefits for individuals. However, it is less known if the beneficial effects of marriage on psychological wellbeing vary by motherhood status prior to marriage. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 79 Cohort, we estimate the effects of marriage moderated by motherhood status on subsequent levels of psychological well-being among a sample of the initially never married women. Our results indicate that entering a first marriage is associated with greater improvements in psychological well-being for single mothers compared to childless women. The results are somewhat inconsistent with previous studies about the psychological impacts of marriage for single mothers, partly because our analysis assesses the effects of “first” marriage for “never married women” at the baseline rather than the consequence of marriage among “single women.” Nonetheless, our results suggest that single mothers benefit more from marriage than childless women do.
Authors: Hyeyoung Woo, R. Kelly Raley
Language: English
Subfield: Demography
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W998744053