Family Formation Pathways and Their Association with Women’s Early Adult Well-Being

Jennifer Pearce-Morris, Pennsylvania State University

This study predicts the most common family formation pathways experienced by women between ages 18 and 29, and examines the way different pathways affect subsequent health and well-being. Several dimensions of health and well-being are considered, including depression, overall physical health, delinquency, heavy drinking, perceived stress, and sense of personal control. Latent class analysis reveals nine latent pathways: delayed starters (20%), cohabitors (13.5%), early single mothers who sometimes cohabit (12.4%), married mothers with premarital cohabitation (11.7%), early married mothers (10.7%), married mothers (10.5%), single mothers who sometimes cohabit (8.9%), cohabiting mothers who later marry (6.5%), and marrieds (5.6%). Preliminary results suggest that married mothers with premarital cohabitation often have favorable outcomes. Early single mothers who sometimes cohabit often have less favorable outcomes, though they exhibit low levels of heavy drinking. Well-being scores for the remaining groups often vary by well-being indicator.