The Effect of Union Type on Relationship Quality and Psychological Well-Being

Anna M. Campbell, University of Texas at Austin
Debra J. Umberson, University of Texas at Austin

Although the psychological benefits of marriage are well established, very little is known about the relationship between cohabitation and mental health outcomes. The effect of cohabitation on psychological well-being is of particular interest given current trends. Of course, the relationship between union type (marriage or cohabitation) and psychological well-being may be mitigated by relationship quality. Among married couples, relationship quality is arguably the most important predictor of well-being (Glenn 1990; Gove, Hughes, and Style 1983; Ross et al. 1991), but the association between relationship quality and psychological well-being among cohabitors remains unclear. This paper analyzes longitudinal data from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) in order to: (1) examine the effect of union type on relationship quality; (2) examine the interaction of union type with relationship quality in predicting psychological well-being; and (3) evaluate the role of selection in the relationship between union type and psychological well-being.