Family Relations · 2006 · 541 citations · 63 references
Couple PsychologyUnited StatesFamily FormationCommitment FrameworkSocial SciencesPsychologyIntimate RelationshipPublic HealthFamily RelationshipsBehavioral SciencesMarital TherapySexual BehaviorMarriage MarketsMarriageSocial BehaviorSociologyFamily PsychologyVersus DecidingDemographyPremarital Cohabitation
Premarital cohabitation in the United States is consistently linked to higher divorce and marital distress, with explanations focusing on selection and experience. The study aims to empirically examine how cohabitation experience itself can elevate divorce and relationship distress risk beyond selection effects. Using a commitment framework, the authors argue that cohabitation inertia can lead couples who would not otherwise marry to do so. The findings highlight practice implications for relationships driven by sliding rather than deciding, where cohabitation inertia keeps partners together despite poor quality or fit.
Abstract: Premarital cohabitation has consistently been found to be associated with increased risk for divorce and marital distress in the United States. Two explanations for this “cohabitation effect” are discussed: selection and experience. We present an empirically based view of how the experience of cohabitation may increase risk for relationship distress or divorce for some people beyond what is accounted for by selection. Specifically, using a commitment framework, we suggest that some couples who otherwise would not have married end up married because of the inertia of cohabitation. We discuss practice implications for relationship transitions that are characterized more by sliding than deciding, especially where a transition such as cohabitation increases inertia to remain in a relationship regardless of quality or fit.
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