RESEARCH ON AGING Barrett / LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG THE NEVER MARRIED Social Support and Life Satisfaction Among the Never Married Examining the Effects of Age

This article examines the role of social support (measured as presence of a confidant, perceived social support, and frequency of informal interaction) in determining life satisfaction among the never married. Using data from Wave I (1986) of Americans’ Changing Lives, social support of the never married (n = 266) is compared with that of the married (n = 1,765) and previously married (n = 1,147). Results indicate that age moderates the effect of marital status on social support such that the negative effects of being never married are greatest among the elderly. In the analyses of life satisfac-tion, marital status and social support are significant predictors. Moreover, social sup-port partially mediates the effect of marital status on life satisfaction. Research has shown that the married enjoy higher life satisfaction than the formerly married; an intermediate position is occupied by the never married (Gove, Hughes, and Style 1983). Among the never mar-ried, it also has been found that patterns in social support differ from those observed in other marital statuses. For example, the never mar-ried interact more frequently with friends and less often with relatives than do married people (Rubinstein 1987; Stull and Scarisbrick-Hauser 1989; Ward 1979). Marital status has been linked with both so-cial support and life satisfaction; however, little is known about their intersection among the never married and, in particular, how these fac-tors unfold over the life course. Although the societal evaluation of singlehood and the probability of marriage change over the life course, AUTHOR’S NOTE: I would like to thank Dr. Linda K. George for helpful comments on ear-lier drafts