心理学报2025，Vol.57Issue(12)：2149-2164,中插8-中插28,37.DOI:10.3724/SP.J.1041.2025.2149
结婚对成年早期个体生活满意度发展轨迹的影响
The impact of marriage on life satisfaction trajectories during emerging adulthood:A ten-year longitudinal study based on China Family Panel Studies
摘要
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.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Key words
marital transitions/life satisfaction/emerging adulthood/longitudinal study/propensity score matching分类
社会科学引用本文复制引用
彭旺,阎平,周雅萍,向燕辉..结婚对成年早期个体生活满意度发展轨迹的影响[J].心理学报,2025,57(12):2149-2164,中插8-中插28,37.基金项目
国家社会科学基金一般项目(23BSH144)资助. （23BSH144）
