Altar-Bound? The Effect of Disability on the Hazard of Entry into a First Marriage

Researchers consistently find that the experience of disability in childhood can influence future life trajectories, particularly with regard to economic and educational outcomes. However, relatively little research has been conducted to explore the effect of disability on other dimensions of the transition to adulthood: namely, its effect on family-formation outcomes. This study uses data from waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health in order to assess the effect of various types of disabilities on the likelihood and timing of entry into a first marriage. Both bivariate and multivariate models show that individuals who have a disabling condition have a lower chance of entry into a first marriage than do individuals who do not have a disability. However, further analysis reveals that not all types of disabilities have the same effect on the chances of marriage-individuals with learning disabilities and those with multiple disabilities are at a significantly lower hazard of entry into a first marriage than are their peers without disabilities.