Does Time Heal All Wounds? Life Satisfaction Trajectories in Australian Middle-Aged Women Before and After Relationship Dissolution

Abstract

Divorce and separation are some of the most traumatic life events experienced by women and pose serious wellbeing consequences. Specifically, the impact of later-life relationship dissolution has been neglected in the literature. This study aimed to compare life satisfaction trajectories of Australian middle-aged women who did, and did not, experience relationship dissolution, and examine why some women adjust better than others. Prospective longitudinal data came from nine waves of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Women who divorced or separated during the study (n = 1,462) were propensity-score matched to women who remained married or partnered (n = 2,666). Results from Bayesian piecewise latent growth curve modelling indicate stable life satisfaction before relationship dissolution, a sudden decline in the years surrounding the event, and long-term curvilinear increases thereafter. Matched controls showed stability and slight increases in life satisfaction across the observation period, which suggests that at least some change in life satisfaction experienced by divorced and separated women is associated with relationship dissolution. Divorced and separated women showed larger individual differences in change, compared to matched controls, in the years before and surrounding dissolution. A moderate to large amount of variance in life satisfaction trajectories was explained by psychosocial and demographic moderators. Social support, perceived control, and subjective income were significant positive moderators of women's adjustment to relationship dissolution. Implications regarding wellbeing interventions for middle-aged women are discussed. Keywords: life satisfaction, divorce, longitudinal, latent growth modelling