ISSN 0439-755X
CN 11-1911/B
主办:中国心理学会
   中国科学院心理研究所
出版:科学出版社

心理学报 ›› 2025, Vol. 57 ›› Issue (12): 2149-2164.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2025.2149 cstr: 32110.14.2025.2149

• 研究报告 • 上一篇    下一篇

结婚对成年早期个体生活满意度发展轨迹的影响——基于中国家庭追踪调查的10年追踪

彭旺1,2,3, 阎平1,2,3, 周雅萍1,2,3,4, 向燕辉1,2,3()   

  1. 1 湖南师范大学教育部人文社会科学重点研究基地中华伦理文明研究中心, 长沙 410081
    2 湖南省心理健康教育研究基地, 长沙 410081
    3 湖南师范大学教育科学学院心理系, 长沙 410081
    4 山东师范大学心理学部, 济南 250300
  • 收稿日期:2024-10-08 发布日期:2025-09-28 出版日期:2025-12-25
  • 通讯作者: 向燕辉, E-mail: xiangyh@hunnu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    国家社会科学基金一般项目(23BSH144)

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

PENG Wang1,2,3, YAN Ping1,2,3, ZHOU Yaping1,2,3,4, Xiang Yanhui1,2,3()   

  1. 1 Center for Chinese Ethics and Civilization, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
    2 China Research Center for Mental Health Education of Hunan Province, Changsha 410081, China
    3 Department of Psychology, School of Educational Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
    4 Faculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250300, China
  • Received:2024-10-08 Online:2025-09-28 Published:2025-12-25

摘要:

结婚会改变人们的生活满意度发展轨迹吗?这既是个事关国家和谐稳定的大问题, 也是个事关个体生活质量的重要问题。研究基于享乐适应理论与缓冲器模型, 使用中国家庭追踪调查(2010~2020) 6期纵向数据, 通过倾向得分匹配与线性混合模型考察了结婚对新兴成年期(18~29岁)生活满意度发展轨迹的影响及其年龄阶段异质性。研究发现:1)总体而言, 事件组的生活满意度显著提升并长期稳定。2)婚姻对生活满意度的影响因年龄阶段而异:18~21岁, 结婚未能提升生活满意度; 22~25岁, 婚后生活满意度先升后降; 26~29岁, 随婚期临近而提升并在婚后保持稳定。进一步的中介分析显示, 婚姻可能通过提升积极情感和缓冲消极症状, 共同塑造个体生活满意度的变化轨迹。研究挑战了传统享乐适应理论迅速适应的观点, 揭示结婚事件对生活满意度较为持久的积极影响, 也为理解婚姻时机与生活满意度的关联机制提供了新证据。

关键词: 婚姻状态转变, 生活满意度, 新兴成年期, 纵向研究, 倾向性得分匹配

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 traditiona1l 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

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