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The Timing of Cohabitation and Engagement: Impact on First and Second Marriages
Author(s) -
Stanley Scott M.,
Rhoades Galena K.,
Amato Paul R.,
Markman Howard J.,
Johnson Christine A.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of marriage and family
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.578
H-Index - 159
eISSN - 1741-3737
pISSN - 0022-2445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00738.x
Subject(s) - cohabitation , spouse , psychology , marital status , demography , sociology , population , geography , archaeology , anthropology
Using a multistate sample of marriages that took place in the 1990s, this study examined associations between premarital cohabitation history and marital quality in first ( N = 437) and second marriages ( N = 200) and marital instability in first marriages (intact N = 521, divorced N = 124). For first marriages, cohabiting with the spouse without first being engaged or married was associated with more negative interaction, higher self‐reported divorce proneness, and a greater probability of divorce compared to cohabiting after engagement or marriage (with patterns in the same direction for marital positivity). In contrast, there was a general risk associated with premarital cohabitation for second marriages on self‐reported indices of marital quality, with or without engagement when cohabitation began.