The Association Between Age and Relationship Satisfaction in Childless Adults

Danielle Fostek

Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation

College: College of Liberal Arts

Major: BA.PSYCHOLOGY

Faculty Research Mentor: Shai Tabib

Abstract:

Previous studies examining the association between age and relationship satisfaction have largely
focused on adults with children. This is often evaluated in relation to the U-shaped curve of
marital satisfaction, which posits marital satisfaction decreases after having children and
increases again as children enter adulthood. Less is known about the association between age and
relationship satisfaction specifically among childless adults. The present study aimed to address
this gap by comparing age and relationship satisfaction among a large national panel dataset,
exclusively involving childless adults. Using archival data from Pew Research Center’s
American Trends Panel Wave 147, the scores of 1,848 participants were separated into age
categories ranging from either 18-49 or 50+ years old. A Mann-Whitney U test found no
significant difference in relationship satisfaction based on age group. These findings suggest that
relationship satisfaction among non-parents does not differ by age group. Future research should
utilize a longitudinal approach and explore how a couple's reason for remaining childfree is
associated with their relationship satisfaction.