BECOMING MARRIED AND MENTAL-HEALTH - A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF A COHORTOF YOUNG-ADULTS

Despite the assumption that marriage enhances psychological well-being , little evidence exists that the social role of marriage, rather than the characteristics of individuals who get married, accounts for the benefits of marriage. We use a sample of 18-, 21-, and 24-year-old men and women who either remained unmarried or got married and remained m arried over a 7-year period to examine whether, after controlling for premarital rates of disorder, marriage enhances mental health. In addi tion, we consider whether or not females derive more mental health ben efits from marriage than males. The results indicate that, with contro ls for premarital rates of mental health, young adults who get and sta y married do have higher levels of well being than those who remain si ngle. In addition, although men-but not women-who become married repor t less depression, women-but not men-who become married report fewer a lcohol problems. Thus, when both male-prevalent and female-prevalent o utcome measures are used, both men and women benefit from marriage.