Abstract

In the United States, the birth rate for women in their 40s continues to increase as well as “gray divorces” (divorces of individuals 50 and older). After divorce, mothers 50 years and older have the opportunity to form post-divorce romantic relationships, which has been shown to be beneficial for individuals after divorce. However, being a parent of an elementary-aged child may hinder repartnering benefits with this population as post-divorce stressors may accumulate according to the cumulative stress hypothesis. The goal of this study is to examine the impact of post-divorce dating relationships for the mental health of mothers 50 and older. Using monthly surveys that mothers completed over a period of two years after getting divorced, we examined the interaction between age and repartnering transitions (i.e., initiating, ending, and forming subsequent romantic relationships) for mothers’ depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Hierarchical linear models illustrated that age did not contribute to changes in well-being when mothers started and ended post-divorce dating relationships. Starting and ending these relationships were associated with boosts in maternal well-being, regardless of age. The experience of forming new romantic relationships may not be stressful in comparison to the other roles that older adult mothers play after divorce.