Abstract
PurposeTo test the associations between cohabitation/marriage and men's antisocial behavior, and the moderating effect of relationship quality on these associations with a contemporary nationally representative sample. MethodsData was drawn from a nationally representative sample, including men who were married (n=1996) or cohabiting (n=1067) and who were single (n=2789). Three-group propensity score weighting was used to balance pre-existing characteristics and to test the effect of marriage and cohabitation on antisocial behavior at Wave 4. Internal moderator analysis was used to test the moderating effect of relationship quality. ResultsMarriage and cohabitation were associated with 48% and 26% reductions in antisocial behavior. Relationship quality conditioned the marriage and cohabitation effects. Men in higher quality marriages engaged in less antisocial behavior than men in lower quality marriages, but married men overall engaged in less antisocial behavior than single men. In contrast, only men in high quality cohabiting relationships committed less antisocial behavior than single men. ConclusionsThe effect of romantic relationship in reducing crime is contingent upon the type of union and the relationship quality. Research is needed to explore the mechanisms of the combined effect of relationship status and quality.
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