A Systematic Review of the Association Between Partnership and Life Satisfaction

Abstract

Demographic trends in partnership have revealed that more people are remaining single or becoming single as they grow older by choice or life circumstance. Understanding whether there is an association between partnership and life satisfaction may provide relevant information on how to better support individuals either choosing or finding themselves single. Although there are a limited number of studies with the explicit purpose of examining partnership status and life satisfaction, this review intended to synthesize current knowledge in order to better understand and explore the context of this important demographic trend. This review examined published peer-reviewed articles in three major social science databases (PsycArticles, PsycINFO, and Social Services Abstract) between 2009 and 2020 and identified nine articles for inclusion. Examining single persons compared to those in marital or nonmarital partnerships, the results of this review indicate a more positive association between partnership and life satisfaction while also demonstrating several gaps and a lack of research. The results of this review support the need for more in-depth research on the life satisfaction of adults as well as a greater exploration of the context of life satisfaction among diverse groups of single adults.