Estimating the effect of family formation on disorientation and psychological well-being using matching methods

Psychological well-being and disorientation are used as proxies for evaluating the consequences of anomie. Anomie is a phenomenon that derives from a weakening in the power of norms, mainly caused by external factors and psychological state of mind of anomic individuals, who are characterized by a sense of uncertainty and disorientation. The decline of psychological well-being and the increase of the sense of disorientation are negatively associated to females' likelihood of having children and also reduce the relative risk to form a union with a partner. However, these dimensions are not only the source, but also the outcome of individuals' life course events. This paper uses matching methods to investigate how the birth of a child or union formation affects psychological well-being and disorientation. Results state that childbirth, non-marital cohabitation and marriage improve psychological well-being, while only marriage helps reducing disorientation.