Union Transitions and Mental Health: Selection or Beneficial Effects?

Kathleen A. Lamb, Bowling Green State University
Gary R. Lee, Bowling Green State University

Prior literature on marital statuses and mental health supports that the married have a mental health advantage over the unmarried, known as the relationship hypothesis. An opposing explanation purports that those with better mental health are more attractive potential mates, termed the selection hypothesis. We improve on previous studies by testing both hypotheses using longitudinal data, and by including cohabitors. Implementing the National Survey of Families and Households, we hypothesize that marriage between waves causes decreases in depression greater than cohabitation. We likewise hypothesize that Wave I depression negatively predicts selection into both cohabitation and marriage, and the relationship will be stronger for marriage. We find that transitioning into marriage but not cohabitation decreases Wave II depression. We also find limited selection effects, as Wave I depression decreases hazard of selection into marriage but does not affect cohabitation. These findings suggest that marriage and cohabitation are qualitatively different phenomena.