The Effect of Disability on Entry into a First Union

Maryhelen D. MacInnes, Michigan State University

While researchers consistently find that the experience of disability in childhood can impact future life trajectories, particularly with regard to economic and educational outcomes, relatively little work has been done to explore the impact of disability on family-related transitions to adulthood. Previous research has found that different types of disabilities differentially affect the timing of entry into a first marriage, however there has not been a systematic evaluation of the effect of type of disability on entry into cohabitation. This study uses data from waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health in order to explore the impact of physical, learning and multiple disabilities on the likelihood that young adults will have entered into marital or cohabitational unions by wave IV compared to remaining single.