Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: The Impact of Unmarried Relationship Dissolution on Mental Health and Life Satisfaction

Journal of Family Psychology

Volumn 25, Issue 3, 2011, Pages 366-374

  Rhoades, Galena K ^a   Kamp Dush, Claire M ^b   Atkins, David C ^c   Stanley, Scott M ^a   Markman, Howard J ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF DENVER   (United States)

^b OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON   (United States)

Author keywords

Break up; Cohabitation; Commitment; Life satisfaction; Relationship dissolution; Unmarried

Indexed keywords

ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR; ADOLESCENT; ADULT; ARTICLE; FAMILY CONFLICT; FEMALE; HUMAN; HUMAN RELATION; MALE; MENTAL STRESS; PSYCHOLOGIC TEST; PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT; QUESTIONNAIRE; SATISFACTION; TIME;

ADAPTATION, PSYCHOLOGICAL; ADOLESCENT; ADULT; FAMILY CONFLICT; FEMALE; HUMANS; INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS; MALE; PERSONAL SATISFACTION; PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS; QUESTIONNAIRES; STRESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL; TIME FACTORS; YOUNG ADULT;

EID: 79959320476     PISSN: 08933200     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1037/a0023627     Document Type: Article

References (47)

1. Amato P.R. The consequences of divorce for adults and children. Journal of Marriage and Family 2000, 62:1269-1287. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.01269.x.
2. Bowman C.G. Legal treatment of cohabitation in the United States. Law and Policy 2004, 26:119-151. doi: 10.1111/j.0265-8240.2004.00165.x.
3. Braithwaite S.R., Delevi R., Fincham F.D. Romantic relationships and the physical and mental health of college students. Personal Relationships 2010, 17:1-12. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2010.01248.x.
4. Clark L.A., Watson D. Tripartite model of anxiety and depression: Psychometric evidence and taxonomic implications. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1991, 100:316-336. doi: 10.1037/0021-843x.100.3.316.
5. Dailey R.M., Pfiester A., Jin B., Beck G., Clark G. On-again/off-again dating relationships: How are they different from other dating relationships?. Personal Relationships 2009, 16:23-47. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2009.01208.x.
6. Diener E., Emmons R.A., Larsen R.J., Griffin S. The Satisfaction with Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment 1985, 49:71-75.
7. Dillman D.A. Mail and internet surveys 2000, Wiley, New York. 2nd ed.
8. Downey G., Feldman S.I. Implications of rejection sensitivity for intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1996, 70:1327-1343.
9. Emery R.E., Dillon P. Conceptualizing the divorce process: Renegotiating boundaries of intimacy and power in the divorced family system. Family Relations 1994, 43:374-379.
10. Fleming V. The Wizard of Oz [Film] 1939, MGM, Los Angeles.
11. Goode W.J. A theory of role strain. American Sociological Review 1960, 25:483-496.
12. Hamilton B.E., Martin J.A., Ventura S.J. Births: Preliminary data for 2008. National Vital Statistics Reports 2010, National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, MD.
13. Johnson D. Two-wave panel analysis: Comparing statistical methods for studying the effects of transitions. Journal of Marriage and Family 2005, 67:1061-1075. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00194.x.
14. Kamp Dush C.M., Amato P. Consequences of relationship status and quality for subjective well-being. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 2005, 22:607-628. doi: 10.1177/0265407505056438.
15. Kamp Dush C.M., Taylor M.G., Kroeger R.A. Marital happiness and psychological well-being across the life course. Family Relations 2008, 57:211-226. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2008.00495.x.
16. Kenney C. Cohabiting couple, filing jointly? Resource pooling and U.S. poverty policies. Family Relations 2004, 53:237-247. doi: 10.1111/j.0022-2445.2004.00014.x.
17. Keogh E., Reidy J. Exploring the factor structure of the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ). Journal of Personality Assessment 2000, 74:106-125. doi: 10.1207/s15327752jpa740108.
18. Kiecolt-Glaser J.K., Newton T.L. Marriage and health: His and hers. Psychological Bulletin 2001, 127:472-503. doi: 0.1037//0033-2909.l27.4.472.
19. Kirk R.E. Practical significance: A concept whose time has come. Educational and Psychological Measurement 1996, 56:746-759. doi: 10.1177/0013164496056005002.
20. Laumann E.O., Gagnon J.H., Michael R.T., Michaels S. The social organization of sexuality: Sexual practices in the United States 1994, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
21. Lucas R.E., Georgellis Y., Clark A.E., Diener E. Reexamining adaptation and the set point model of happiness: Reactions to changes in marital status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003, 84:527-539. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.84.3.527.
22. Meadows S.O. Family structure and fathers' well-being: Trajectories of mental health and self-rated health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 2009, 50:115-131.
23. Meadows S.O., Brooks-Gunn J., McLanahan S.S. Stability and change in family structure and maternal health trajectories. American Sociological Review 2008, 73:314-334. doi: 10.1177/000312240807300207.
24. Monroe S.M., Rohde P., Seeley J.R., Lewinsohn P.M. Life events and depression in adolescence: Relationship loss as a prospective risk factor for first onset of major depressive disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1999, 108:606-614. doi: 10.1037/0021-843x.108.4.606.
25. Morris S.B., DeShon R.P. Combining effect size estimates in meta-analysis with repeated measures and independent-groups designs. Psychological Methods 2002, 7:105-125. doi: 10.1037//1082-989X.7.1.105.
26. Pavot W., Diener E. Review of the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Assessing well-being: The collected works of Ed. Diener 2009, 101-117. Springer, New York. E. Diener (Ed.).
27. Raudenbush S.W., Bryk A.S., Congdon R. HLM 6: Hierarchical linear and nonlinear modeling 2004, Scientific Software International, Inc., Lincolnwood, IL.
28. Rhoades G.K., Stanley S.M., Markman H.J. Working with cohabitation in relationship education and therapy. Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy 2009, 8:95-112. doi: 10.1080/15332690902813794.
29. Rhoades G.K., Stanley S.M., Markman H.J. Should I stay or should I go? Predicting dating relationship stability from four aspects of commitment. Journal of Family Psychology 2010, 24:543-550. doi: 10.1037/a0021008.
30. Rusbult C.E. Commitment and satisfaction in romantic associations: A test of the investment model. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 1980, 16:172-186. doi: 10.1016/0022-1031(80)90007-4.
31. Ruvolo A.P. Marital well-being and general happiness of newlywed couples: Relationships across time. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 1998, 15:470-489. doi: 10.1177/0265407598154002.
32. Sabourin S., Valois P., Lussier Y. Development and validation of a brief version of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale with a nonparametric item analysis model. Psychological Assessment 2005, 17:15-27. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.17.1.15.
33. Sbarra D.A., Emery R.E. The emotional sequelae of nonmarital relationship dissolution: Analysis of change and intraindividual variability over time. Personal Relationships 2005, 12:213-232. doi: 10.1111/j.1350-4126.2005.00112.x.
34. Simon R.W., Barrett A.E. Nonmarital romantic relationships and mental health in early adulthood: Does the association differ for women and men?. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 2010, 51:168-182. doi: 10.1177/0022146510372343.
35. Simpson J.A. The dissolution of romantic relationships: Factors involved in relationship stability and emotional distress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1987, 53:683-692. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.53.4.683.
36. Soons J.P.M., Liefbroer A.C., Kalmijn M. The long-term consequences of relationship formation for subjective well-being. Journal of Marriage and Family 2009, 71:1254-1270. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00667.x.
37. Spanier G.B. Measuring dyadic adjustment: New scales for assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Journal of Marriage and Family 1976, 38:15-28.
38. Sprecher S. Two sides to the breakup of dating relationships. Personal Relationships 1994, 1:199-222.
39. Sprecher S., Felmlee D., Metts S., Fehr B., Vanni D. Factors associated with distress following the breakup of a close relationship. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 1998, 15:791-809. doi: 10.1177/0265407598156005.
40. Stanley S.M., Rhoades G.K., Markman H.J. Sliding vs. deciding: Inertia and the premarital cohabitation effect. Family Relations 2006, 55:499-509. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2006.00418.x.
41. Tashiro T., Frazier P. " I'll never be in a relationship like that again": Personal growth following romantic relationship breakups. Personal Relationships 2003, 10:113-128. doi: 10.1111/1475-6811.00039.
42. Thibaut J.W., Kelley H.H. The social psychology of groups 1959, Wiley, Oxford, England.
43. America's family and living arrangements 2010, U.S. Census Bureau, Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam.html.
44. Waite L.J., Gallagher M. The case for marriage 2000, Doubleday, New York.
45. Wheaton B. Life transitions, role histories, and mental health. American Sociological Review 1990, 55:209-223. doi: 10.2307/2095627.
46. Wieselquist J., Rusbult C.E., Foster C.A., Agnew C.R. Commitment, pro-relationship behavior, and trust in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1999, 77:942-966.
47. Wortel, S. N., & Rogge, R. D. (2010, November). Can you feel the love tonight? Links between sexual behavior and both individual and relationship well-being over time. Poster presented at the Association for Behavior and Cognitive Therapies conference, San Francisco.