Non-Traditional Families I
Section 6: Cohabitation
Advanced Psychology
Introduction
About 70% of Americans live with partner before marriage.
Evidence has suggested that premarital cohabitation is a risk factor for
subsequent divorce as well as lower marital quality.
H1: Married couples who lived with their spouses before engagement would report
poorer quality marriages (general satisfaction, communication, confidence in the
relationship, commitment, sense of future, friendship, satisfaction with sexual
component), and greater divorce potential than those who lived together after
engagement or not at all.
H2: The above findings would hold even when controlling for length of marriage
and factors associated with selection into cohabitation, such as religiousness,
age, education, and income
Methods
1050 men and women in different relationships completed telephone surveys about
cohabitation history.
Ages 18 to 34
Married 10 years or less
$35K to $40K annual income
Several ethnic groups, 84.9% White
Answered 10 questions about relationship satisfaction, dedication, confidence,
sexual satisfaction, friendship, negative communication, and divorce potential.
Demographic information listed above
Results
Those who cohabited before engagement reported significantly poorer marital
quality.
Those who cohabited before engagement reported significantly lower levels of
satisfaction, dedication, and confidence.
Those who cohabited before engagement were significantly more likely to suggest
divorce.
There were not differences between those who cohabited after engagement and not
at all on any of the variables.
Effects remained significant when controlling for length of marriage,
religiousness, and education
Conclusions
Replicates data from previous studies.
Those who cohabit before engagement are at greater risk for relationship
instability and lower quality.
Those who cohabit after engagement are no different than those who do not
cohabit at all.
Discussion Questions
Do these results surprise you? Why or why not?
How might the results of this study be integrated into a Christian World View?
Explain your answer.