Union Dissolution(s) and Multidimensional Well-Being

Barbuscia Anna , INED
Laura Bernardi, University of Lausanne
Emmanuelle Cambois, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Chiara Ludovica Comolli, University of Lausanne
Ariane Pailhe, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)

As family trajectories become more complex, marriage rates decline and divorce and remarriage rates increase, a consistent evidence shows that critical transitions in the family domain do affect wellbeing. Being married is usually associated with better mental and physical health, while experiencing a union dissolution and lone parenthood are negatively associated to physical and mental health, subjective and social wellbeing. However, although an increasing number of people are likely to experience multiple transitions, less evidence exists on how this affect well-being. Empirical evidence has also suggested that the impact of critical family events on wellbeing is heterogeneous and depends on individual demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and groups with fewer resources face more severe consequences when experiencing critical life events. It also points to the fact that wellbeing as an outcome requires a clear conceptual base and it should include multiple indicators. In this study, we use data from the two waves (2006 and 2010) of the survey on “Health and Occupational Trajectories” (santé et itinéraire professionnel, SIP) to examine the association between experiencing one or more union dissolution(s) and individuals’ multidimensional wellbeing, including both a) physical and mental health and b) material and social wellbeing. We investigate how this associations change depending on the timing of dissolution(s) with respect to when well-being is measured, and on individual’s gender and socio-economic characteristics.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session 87. Civil Status and Health