The Marriage Effect Difference on Mental Health in Rural and Urban Locations

• In Event: Family Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 7: Families and Health

Abstract

Economic changes of the past 60 years have had a toll on family lives, and we are now seeing drastic changes in American life as well as changes in family formations are becoming increasingly evident. Trends such as higher rates of cohabitation and lower rates of marriage are spreading across the country (Horowitz et al, 2019). These changes call for researchers to look at where and why these things are happening; especially areas in which these traditional family formations have been so prevalent, such as rural areas. Rural families have commonly been viewed as idyllic version of the American family, being viewed as more traditional and stable than their urban or suburban counterparts (MacTavish & Salamon, 2002). This paper attempts to find the difference marriage has on the mental health by rural and urban location by using the NHIS 2022 adult wave. The findings in this paper point to there a significant difference in anxiety and depression symptoms by rural or urban location, with individuals who are married in rural areas having higher levels of both anxiety and depression symptoms. This research has implications for rural and urban families, such as increased marriage guidance in rural area as well as more attention to mental health of married couples by different locations of the US.

Author

• Chloe Rose Davis, Baylor University