The impact of marriage on life satisfaction trajectories during emerging adulthood: A ten-year longitudinal study based on China Family Panel Studies

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1041.2025.2149

Abstract

Abstract:

Marriage is widely debated regarding its impact on individuals' developmental trajectories of life satisfaction, a question of profound significance for both social well-being and personal quality of life. In collectivist societies such as China, marriage may involve distinct mechanisms related to familial responsibilities and social support. However, longitudinal empirical research examining marriage events and their trajectories of life satisfaction in the Chinese context remains scarce. Drawing on hedonic adaptation theory and the buffering model of social support, this study systematically investigated how marriage impacts life satisfaction trajectories across different age stages in emerging adulthood and examined the dual mediation mechanisms of positive affect and negative symptoms, utilizing a decade of large-scale longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS, 2010-2020).

Data from CFPS included a longitudinal sample of 1, 603 married participants and 5 778 matched unmarried controls aged 18~29 years. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to form comparable married and unmarried groups based on demographic characteristics (gender, age, education, income, health status, and employment) and temporal factors (survey participation years and measurement frequency). Based on the matched sample, we fitted several distinct multilevel linear models, each using a different time indicator, to evaluate life satisfaction trajectories surrounding marriage events. Furthermore, we examined the mediating effects of positive affect and negative symptoms in two post-marriage time windows (0?2 years and more than 2 years after marriage).

Results showed that marriage, on average, significantly and durably improved life satisfaction, with marked age heterogeneity: the effect was non-significant among individuals aged 18~21; those aged 22~25 exhibited a “rise-then-decline” pattern after marriage; and those aged 26~29 showed an anticipatory increase before marriage that remained stable thereafter. Mediation analyses further indicated a dual mechanism. Overall, sustained gains were jointly accounted for by increased positive affect and the buffering of negative symptoms; however, the mediating paths also varied by age: for ages 18~21, neither path was significant; for ages 22~25, mediation operated through elevated positive affect during the first 0~2 years post-marriage and shifted to buffering of negative symptoms beyond 2 years; and for ages 26~29, the effect was predominantly mediated by buffering of negative symptoms. Sex differences indicated similar overall gains for women and men, with men displaying a more pronounced anticipatory effect prior to marriage.

The study systematically revealed how marriage influenced life satisfaction trajectories among emerging adults in China and suggested the potential dual-stage, dual-pathway mediation mechanisms behind this relationship, highlighting notable age-related heterogeneity. Theoretically, these findings challenged the traditional hedonic adaptation perspective of short-lived marital effects, expanding a dynamic understanding of marital happiness mechanisms within collectivist cultures. Practically, this research provides age- and mechanism-specific insights for marriage education and family policy interventions to enhance the well-being of young adults.

Key words: marital transitions, life satisfaction, emerging adulthood, longitudinal study, propensity score matching

PENG Wang, YAN Ping, ZHOU Yaping, Xiang Yanhui. (2025). The impact of marriage on life satisfaction trajectories during emerging adulthood: A ten-year longitudinal study based on China Family Panel Studies. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 57(12), 2149-2164.

Figures/Tables 59

References 103

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	Age Stage	Sample Type	Control Group	Event Group
Before matching
	18~29 years	Overall sample	5778	1603
After matching
	18~29 years	Matched sample	658	658
	18~21 years	Matched sample	133	133
	22~25 years	Matched sample	406	406
	26~29 years	Matched sample	146	146

	Age Stage	Sample Type	Control Group	Event Group
Before matching
	18~29 years	Overall sample	5778	1603
After matching
	18~29 years	Matched sample	658	658
	18~21 years	Matched sample	133	133
	22~25 years	Matched sample	406	406
	26~29 years	Matched sample	146	146

Variable	Before matching			After matching
Variable	Event Group	Control Group	Standardized Mean Difference	Event Group	Control Group	Standardized Mean Difference
Distance	0.47	0.15	1.36	0.41	0.40	0.02
Number of females, N (%)	812(51)%	2445(42%)	0.17	303(46%)	303(46%)	0.00
Age (years)	20.28	19.97	0.10	18.74	18.74	0.00
Years of education	10.91	9.88	0.32	10.59	10.57	0.01
Health status	1.60	1.99	?0.46	1.59	1.72	?0.15
Employment status	0.42	0.24	0.37	0.22	0.22	0.00
Personal income (RMB)	8926.62	5884.50	0.13	5503.62	4109.30	0.06
Number of measurements	4.55	2.78	1.47	4.52	4.52	0.00
First survey year	2010.83	2013.29	?1.82	2010.88	2010.88	0.00
Last survey year	2018.79	2017.34	0.78	2018.70	2018.70	0.00

Variable	Before matching			After matching
Variable	Event Group	Control Group	Standardized Mean Difference	Event Group	Control Group	Standardized Mean Difference
Distance	0.47	0.15	1.36	0.41	0.40	0.02
Number of females, N (%)	812(51)%	2445(42%)	0.17	303(46%)	303(46%)	0.00
Age (years)	20.28	19.97	0.10	18.74	18.74	0.00
Years of education	10.91	9.88	0.32	10.59	10.57	0.01
Health status	1.60	1.99	?0.46	1.59	1.72	?0.15
Employment status	0.42	0.24	0.37	0.22	0.22	0.00
Personal income (RMB)	8926.62	5884.50	0.13	5503.62	4109.30	0.06
Number of measurements	4.55	2.78	1.47	4.52	4.52	0.00
First survey year	2010.83	2013.29	?1.82	2010.88	2010.88	0.00
Last survey year	2018.79	2017.34	0.78	2018.70	2018.70	0.00

Variable	Model A			Model B			Model C
Variable	Overall	Male	Female	Overall	Male	Female	Overall	Male	Female
Intercept (b₀)	3.450^*	3.265^*	3.585^*	3.513^*	3.271^*	3.561^*	3.089^*	2.801^*	3.330^*
Test effect(b₁)	0.039^*	0.069^*	0.010	0.032^*	0.065^*	0.014	0.122^*	0.152^*	0.075^*
Baseline change×Group(b₁₂)	0.249^*	0.280^*	0.213^*
Event year×Group(b₁₃)				0.225^*	0.301^*	0.157
Linear anticipation×Group(b₁₄)							0.092^*	0.095^*	0.014
Quadratic anticipation×Group(b₁₅)							0.010^*	0.008
Linear reaction×Group(b₁₆)							0.059	0.050	0.051^*
Quadratic reaction×Group(b₁₇)							?0.007	?0.007