Perceived Marriage Squeeze and Subjective Well-Being Among Unmarried Rural Men in China: The Mediating Role of Sense of Coherence

The marriage-squeeze unmarried rural men perceive during their daily life is one of the main stressors severely affecting their subjective well-being under the universal marriage culture. The mechanism of this relationship is still unknown. Based on the Stress Process Model, using data from the “Sur...

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Main Authors: Qunlin Zhang, Zhibin Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2023-02-01
Series:American Journal of Men's Health
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883231157975
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author Qunlin Zhang
Zhibin Li
author_facet Qunlin Zhang
Zhibin Li
author_sort Qunlin Zhang
collection DOAJ
description The marriage-squeeze unmarried rural men perceive during their daily life is one of the main stressors severely affecting their subjective well-being under the universal marriage culture. The mechanism of this relationship is still unknown. Based on the Stress Process Model, using data from the “Survey on Rural Family Martial Status,” this study examines the relationship between perceived marriage squeeze (PMS) and subjective well-being (SWB) and the mediating effect of sense of coherence (SOC). A sample of 417 Chinese unmarried rural men with an average age of 28.88 years was enrolled in this cross-sectional. Ordinary least square regressions and Bootstrap-mediated effect analysis methods were used to examine the association between PMS, SWB, and SOC. The results show that PMS has significant negative effects on both SWB and SOC of unmarried rural men, and SOC has a significant positive impact on SWB; the more perceived marriage squeeze they have, the lower SWB and SOC they have. The mediated analysis shows that SOC plays a mediating role in the influence of PMS on the SWB of unmarried rural men. This is to say, SOC can mitigate PMS’s negative effects on the SWB of unmarried rural men. Our findings highlight the importance of SOC in protecting the SWB of unmarried rural men. Considering the propounding influence of the marriage squeeze, policies that enhance the level of SOC should be implemented to relieve the influence of PMS on vulnerable unmarried rural men’s SWB.
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spelling doaj.art-9799fb9c0b3741fe90b1fbe2609377fb2023-02-28T22:03:36ZengSAGE PublishingAmerican Journal of Men's Health1557-98912023-02-011710.1177/15579883231157975Perceived Marriage Squeeze and Subjective Well-Being Among Unmarried Rural Men in China: The Mediating Role of Sense of CoherenceQunlin Zhang0Zhibin Li1School of Management, Xi’an Polytechnic University, Xi’an, ChinaSchool of Management, Xi’an Polytechnic University, Xi’an, ChinaThe marriage-squeeze unmarried rural men perceive during their daily life is one of the main stressors severely affecting their subjective well-being under the universal marriage culture. The mechanism of this relationship is still unknown. Based on the Stress Process Model, using data from the “Survey on Rural Family Martial Status,” this study examines the relationship between perceived marriage squeeze (PMS) and subjective well-being (SWB) and the mediating effect of sense of coherence (SOC). A sample of 417 Chinese unmarried rural men with an average age of 28.88 years was enrolled in this cross-sectional. Ordinary least square regressions and Bootstrap-mediated effect analysis methods were used to examine the association between PMS, SWB, and SOC. The results show that PMS has significant negative effects on both SWB and SOC of unmarried rural men, and SOC has a significant positive impact on SWB; the more perceived marriage squeeze they have, the lower SWB and SOC they have. The mediated analysis shows that SOC plays a mediating role in the influence of PMS on the SWB of unmarried rural men. This is to say, SOC can mitigate PMS’s negative effects on the SWB of unmarried rural men. Our findings highlight the importance of SOC in protecting the SWB of unmarried rural men. Considering the propounding influence of the marriage squeeze, policies that enhance the level of SOC should be implemented to relieve the influence of PMS on vulnerable unmarried rural men’s SWB.https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883231157975
spellingShingle Qunlin Zhang
Zhibin Li
Perceived Marriage Squeeze and Subjective Well-Being Among Unmarried Rural Men in China: The Mediating Role of Sense of Coherence
American Journal of Men's Health
title Perceived Marriage Squeeze and Subjective Well-Being Among Unmarried Rural Men in China: The Mediating Role of Sense of Coherence
title_full Perceived Marriage Squeeze and Subjective Well-Being Among Unmarried Rural Men in China: The Mediating Role of Sense of Coherence
title_fullStr Perceived Marriage Squeeze and Subjective Well-Being Among Unmarried Rural Men in China: The Mediating Role of Sense of Coherence
title_full_unstemmed Perceived Marriage Squeeze and Subjective Well-Being Among Unmarried Rural Men in China: The Mediating Role of Sense of Coherence
title_short Perceived Marriage Squeeze and Subjective Well-Being Among Unmarried Rural Men in China: The Mediating Role of Sense of Coherence
title_sort perceived marriage squeeze and subjective well being among unmarried rural men in china the mediating role of sense of coherence
url https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883231157975
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