Will Adults’ Happiness be Affected by Childhood Parental Divorce? Evidence From China

Abstract

Happiness is an important dimension to measure the quality of life. The divorce rate of Chinese families has been increasing in recent years, so will adults' happiness be affected by childhood parental divorce? Data were derived from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, a nationwide social survey project that was conducted among Chinese individuals aged 45 or older in 2014. The results show that childhood parental divorce was significantly negatively associated with happiness, and health condition, education level, and social interaction mediated this relationship. We should analyze the influence of early age factors on happiness from the perspective of life cycle, and actively deal with the factors that have negative effects on happiness, thus improving the quality of life in adulthood.