The Impacts of Postdivorce Cohabitation and Relationship Duration on the Early Marital Climate of Remarriages

Abstract

Postdivorce cohabitation has become increasingly common, but research on the influence of cohabitation on the marital climate of remarriages is limited. Research on first-order marriages suggests that the length (or duration) of the relationship may account for some of the influence of cohabitation. However, there remains a need to understand the influence of cohabitation on the unique experiences of remarriages. Using data from 1,889 newly remarried individuals, we fit mixed-effect models to test the effect of cohabitation and relationship duration on the marital climate indicators of marital quality, marital instability, and remarital problems. Relationship duration, but not cohabitation, was negatively associated with marital quality. Cohabitation, but not relationship duration, was positively associated with marital instability and negatively associated with remarital problems. Results indicate that cohabitation may both benefit and harm remarital climates. This may explain, in part, the inconsistent findings in the literature and highlights the importance of studying remarriages as a unique population.