The relationship of cohabitation and mental health: A study of a young adult cohort

Despite the growing importance of and interest in cohabitation as a living arrangement, little is known about the relationship between cohabitation and mental health. This research rests how the mental health of cohabiters compares with that of unmarried and of married persons. It uses a cohort of unmarried young adults who were sampled when they were 18, 21, or 24 years old and resampled 7 years later when they were 25, 28, or 31 years old. We compare the mental health of cohabitors with the unmarried and married after controlling for premarital after of mental health and conventionality. The results of multivariate analyses indicate no differences between cohabiters and others in levels of depression. Cohabiting men, however, report significantly more alcohol problems than both married and single men, and cohabiting women report more alcohol problems than married women. In general, the results indicate that cohabitation is unrelated to depression but is associated with alcohol problems for men.