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: Tabib, Shai  

Abstract:

Previous studies examining the association between age and relationship satisfaction have largelyfocused on adults with children. This is often evaluated in relation to the U-shaped curve ofmarital satisfaction, which posits marital satisfaction decreases after having children andincreases again as children enter adulthood. Less is known about the association between age andrelationship satisfaction specifically among childless adults. The present study aimed to addressthis gap by comparing age and relationship satisfaction among a large national panel dataset,exclusively involving childless adults. Using archival data from Pew Research Center’sAmerican Trends Panel Wave 147, the scores of 1,848 participants were separated into agecategories ranging from either 18-49 or 50+ years old. A Mann-Whitney U test found nosignificant difference in relationship satisfaction based on age group. These findings suggest thatrelationship satisfaction among non-parents does not differ by age group. Future research shouldutilize a longitudinal approach and explore how a couple's reason for remaining childfree isassociated with their relationship satisfaction.