The Relevance of Marriage Plans for Cohabiting Emerging Adults’ Psychological Well-Being: Considering Economic Security and Relationship Quality

Abstract

Family researchers have considered the presence of marriage plans to distinguish between non-marital cohabiting unions. We assess, in the context of emerging adulthood, whether marriage plans differentiate between cohabitors in terms of psychological well-being. Analyzing data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS), we examined associations for depressive and anxiety symptoms in a sample of 300 emerging adult cohabitors. We also compared cohabitors with 216 married emerging adults (total N = 516). We also assessed relationship quality and economic security as possible confounding factors. Results suggested that cohabitors without marriage plans experienced more frequent anxiety and depressive symptoms. However, significant associations did not remain in multivariable models, particularly when considering economic security. Findings indicate that marriage plans may be inadequate for differentiating between cohabitors’ well-being. We find that economic security and discrete relationship quality measures better explain differences than marriage plans. These findings add to burgeoning research on cohabitation in emerging adulthood.