On the Rebound: Time to Remarriage and Subsequent Union Stability

Nicholas H. Wolfinger, University of Utah

Self-help books frequently advise readers to avoid rushing into new relationships after a break-up. To date, there has been little evidence supporting this recommendation. This paper tests the effects of rebound time, measured as time elapsed between marital dissolution and the formation of a new union, on remarriage stability. Data from the first wave of the National Survey of Families and Households and generalized additive models reveal no evidence of a rebound effect on remarriage stability. This finding remains unchanged after adjusting for various demographic differences between respondents.