Love, life and happiness: a study of partner relationships and well-being in young adulthood

J.P.M. Soons

Research output: PhD ThesisPhD thesis

Abstract

Love, life and happiness are the key elements of this dissertation. The long-term development of happiness, or more precisely, subjective well-being, and its determinants are studied in a young adult sample. That is where "life" comes in. When crossing the bridge from childhood to adulthood, people experience many transitions, for instance in their living arrangements and occupational activity. In studying the consequences of these transitions, a life-course perspective is taken, which implies atttention to the combination of different events and to the long-term effects of events. With respect to these events, the focus is on the relationship domain, because many events happen in this domain in young adulthood. Based on analyses with the longitudinal Panel Study on Social Integration in the Netherlands and the European Social Survey, empirical findings show the importance of relationships for a young adult's level of well-being, and the extent to which the effects are lasting. The study shows how both individual and country characteristics have an impact on these effects.
Original languageUndefined
QualificationDoctor of Philosophy
Awarding Institution
  • VU University Amsterdam
Supervisors/Advisors
  • Liefbroer, A.C. (Aat), Promotor
  • Kalmijn, M. (Matthijs), Promotor
Award date10 Nov 2009
Place of PublicationAmsterdam
Publisher
Print ISBNs978 90 6984 596 8
Publication statusPublished - 2009

Cite this