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Author: Halpern-Meekin, Sarah
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Tach, Laura
Halpern-Meekin, Sarah
How Does Premarital Cohabitation Affect Trajectories of Marital Quality?
Journal of Marriage and Family 71,2 (May 2009): 298-317.
Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jomf.2009.71.issue-2/issuetoc
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing, Inc. => Wiley Online
Keyword(s): Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Cohabitation; Ethnic Differences; Marital Satisfaction/Quality; Modeling, Growth Curve/Latent Trajectory Analysis; Racial Differences

We investigate the link between premarital cohabitation and trajectories of subsequent marital quality using random effects growth curve models and repeated measures of marital quality from married women in the NLSY-79 (N = 3,598). We find that premarital cohabitors experience lower quality marital relationships on average, but this is driven by cohabitors with nonmarital births. Premarital cohabitors without nonmarital births report the same marital quality as women who did not cohabit before marriage. Nonmarital childbearing is more strongly associated with lower subsequent marital quality for White women than for Black or Hispanic women. Marital quality declines at similar rates for all couples regardless of cohabitation or nonmarital childbearing status. These findings are robust to numerous alternative model specifications.
Bibliography Citation
Tach, Laura and Sarah Halpern-Meekin. "How Does Premarital Cohabitation Affect Trajectories of Marital Quality? ." Journal of Marriage and Family 71,2 (May 2009): 298-317.
2. Tach, Laura
Halpern-Meekin, Sarah
Marital Quality and Divorce Decisions: How Do Premarital Cohabitation and Nonmarital Childbearing Matter?
Family Relations 61,4 (October 2012): 571-585.
Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2012.00724.x/abstract
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: National Council on Family Relations
Keyword(s): Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Cohabitation; Divorce; Marital Satisfaction/Quality; Modeling, Fixed Effects

This study used the 1979 cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (N = 3,481) to test whether the association between marital quality and divorce is moderated by premarital cohabitation or nonmarital childbearing status. Prior research identified lower marital quality as a key explanation for why couples who cohabit or have children before marrying are more likely to divorce than other couples. Using event history and fixed-effects models, we found that the effect of marital quality on divorce is similar for cohabitors and noncohabitors, with cohabitors more likely to end both high- and low-quality marriages. In contrast, the relationship between marital quality and divorce is weaker for women with nonmarital births; they are less likely than others to dissolve low-quality marriages. We discuss how commitment norms and self-efficacy might explain these differences in the association between marital quality and divorce.
Bibliography Citation
Tach, Laura and Sarah Halpern-Meekin. "Marital Quality and Divorce Decisions: How Do Premarital Cohabitation and Nonmarital Childbearing Matter?" Family Relations 61,4 (October 2012): 571-585.