Pre-kid marriages are happiest, study finds

TEMPE, Arizona (CNN) -- Marital happiness tends to drop after a couple has children, and reaches its lowest level during the teen years, USA Today reported Tuesday.

The findings, part of a national survey of 6,785 spouses, were presented at an American Sociological Association meeting this week in Toronto, the newspaper said.

The study is the first to track people over time and look at the impact of "children" over 18, who often live at home for a while, according to USA Today.

The dip in marital satisfaction arrives after the first baby, sociologist Mary Benin of Arizona State University told the newspaper.

"It's such an abrupt transition, going from an adult to a baby-centered household," Benin said.

Marriages experience more pressure and stress as children get older. The lowest point of happiness was registered during the teen-ager phase.

Happiness takes an upturn when kids at home are over 18, though husbands at that point feel more happily married than women.

"Even if kids have been away, families tend to revert back to their old habits at this time, and that means extra household work for the wife but not the husband," University of Minnesota family psychologist Pauline Boss told USA Today.

Marriage happiness surges back up once children are living independently, according to the study.

Childless spouses tend to maintain a more consistent level of happiness over time, Benin said.

• Consumer News: Parenting

Related sites:

• USA TODAY
  • Couples in pre-kid, no-kid marriages happiest - August 12, 1997
• Arizona State University
• American Sociological Association

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