Storie di formazione familiare e il loro effetto sul benessere nel Regno Unito: un approccio sul corso di vita

Extensive efforts from social scientists have been put in the study of life events, particularly revolving around the institution of the family. However, most of this literature does not take into account the entire life path of individuals. Nonetheless, holistic outlooks in the study of life course have been gaining the favour of sociologists and demographers, successfully enriching the understanding of complex social phenomena and their dynamics. Placed within the LCHD theoretical framework, this work employs data from ten waves of the UKHLS to investigate the association between union and fertility histories and subjective and psychological wellbeing of adults in Great Britain. By means of sequence and cluster analysis, the study identifies the prevalent family formation patterns across early- and mid-adulthood (ages 15 to 45). There is significant evidence of an association between family histories and wellbeing in later life. Traditional patterns characterized by fertility and couple stability are linked to higher subjective wellbeing and better mental health, and the association is mostly mediated by current characteristics of respondents. Moreover, the study finds significant gender disparities in the relationship between specific family patterns and wellbeing.