Religiosity, Relationship Quality, and Other Determinants of Living Arrangements Among Cohabitating and Other Unmarried First-Time Mothers One Year After Childbirth

This study of unmarried first-time mothers and their children's fathers (n = 600) was based on data from the Fragile Families Study. Greater religiosity among unmarried fathers was found to increase the odds of marrying vis-a-vis cohabitating with their children's mothers one year after childbirth. Fathers who cited "spending time together" often as a source of conflict were more likely to be in a cohabitating relationship than to marry. Mothers who reported that they were more distrustful of men were more likely to be in visiting (romantic but living apart) or in non-romantic relationships than to marry. Findings suggested that unmarried first-time mothers seeking stable relationships with fathers of their children could benefit from intervention efforts that focus on religious characteristics and quality of relationships of the parents. (C) 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.