Doktorarbeit

Partnership dynamics and changes in health and well-being: a bidirectional relationship

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the complex interplay between partnership dynamics and health and well-being, focusing on how partnership transitions – namely union formation (including re-partnering) and union dissolution – are associated with well-being, mental and physical health, and health risk behaviors. It emphasizes the bidirectional nature of these relationships, where health can act as both a precursor and an outcome of partnership changes. Using longitudinal survey and register data from Germany, the United Kingdom, and Finland, this research aims to identify which individuals experience particularly strong health challenges following partnership transitions and the factors that may explain these changes. It also examines how health and well-being may influence changes in partnership status. By incorporating gender differences, genetic predispositions, and socioeconomic factors, the dissertation aims to understand why some individuals are more sensitive to health changes. A special focus on single mothers in two sub-studies underscores the unique challenges associated with their family arrangements. The analyses adopt a life course perspective by examining short- and long-term changes across children, adolescents, and adults. 
The methodological framework employs within-individual panel data analyses, event study designs, and structural equation modeling approaches from behavioral genetics. Health and well-being are assessed using a wide range of subjective and objective measures from survey and register data across the five sub-studies. Survey-based measures include life satisfaction and self-reported mental health and health risk behaviors, while register data provide information on antidepressant purchases for mental health problems and healthcare utilization for physical conditions. Overall, this work highlights the dual role of health as both an antecedent and consequence of partnership dynamics. It builds on prior research by considering gender-specific heterogeneity and socioeconomic differences, and advances prior research by incorporating genetic factors as potential moderators, offering new insights into the association between partnership changes and health.