Johnson Matthew D, Krahn Harvey J, Galambos Nancy L
Department of Human Ecology, University of Alberta.
Department of Sociology, University of Alberta.
J Fam Psychol. 2017 Aug;31(5):635-641. doi: 10.1037/fam0000297. Epub 2017 Jan 23.
Drawing on data from 405 Canadian adults surveyed as high school seniors (Age 18) and again in midlife (Age 43), the present study examined whether marital timing, a variable rooted in the age norm hypothesis (whether marriage was early, on time, or late in relation to peers), might contribute additional insight into the well-documented association between marital status and subjective well-being (SWB; happiness, symptoms of depression, and self-esteem). The analysis also considered 3 alternative explanations of the marriage-SWB link: the social selection hypothesis, social role theory, and the adaptation perspective. Path analysis results demonstrated marrying on time or late compared with marrying early predicted fewer symptoms of depression in midlife, offering some support for the age norm hypothesis. Little support was found for the social selection hypothesis, but getting married and divorcing were consistently linked with future SWB, in accordance with social role theory. Marrying at an older age predicted higher self-esteem in midlife for men, implying potential adaptation. (PsycINFO Database Record
本研究利用405名加拿大成年人的数据，这些人在高中高年级（18岁）时接受了调查，中年时（43岁）再次接受调查。本研究考察了婚姻时机这一根植于年龄规范假设的变量（婚姻相对于同龄人而言是早、适时还是晚）是否能为婚姻状况与主观幸福感（SWB；幸福、抑郁症状和自尊）之间已被充分记录的关联提供更多见解。该分析还考虑了婚姻与主观幸福感联系的三种替代解释：社会选择假设、社会角色理论和适应视角。路径分析结果表明，与早婚相比，适时结婚或晚婚预示着中年时抑郁症状较少，这为年龄规范假设提供了一些支持。几乎没有发现对社会选择假设的支持，但根据社会角色理论，结婚和离婚与未来的主观幸福感始终相关。男性中年时晚婚预示着更高的自尊，这意味着潜在的适应性。（PsycINFO数据库记录）
