Research done by the Center for Marriage and Families and the Institute for American Values shows that marriage on average boosts the mental health of both adults and children. Married adults experience higher levels of emotional well-being and lower levels of mental illness than do single and divorced adults. Children whose parents do not get and stay married have increased risk of mental illness that will continue long into adulthood, even after controlling for pre-divorce marital conflict. Cohabitation does not typically appear to provide the same mental health benefits as marriage. Overall, research strongly supports the idea that marriage is an important factor in fostering positive mental health for women, men, and children. Read more