Family conditions and adult relationship satisfaction

Family relationships and structures are key components of children’s development, shaping their emotional competencies and relational outcomes over the life course. Although extensive research has examined links between family background and later-life outcomes, less attention has been paid to how family relational and structural conditions shape adult children’s relationship satisfaction. Using data from the United Kingdom Generations and Gender Survey for preliminary analyses, this study investigates the association between family conditions experienced from childhood onward and relationship satisfaction in adulthood. We consider parental separation, childhood living arrangements, and perceived parental relationship quality, and estimate baseline linear regression models controlling for key sociodemographic characteristics. Preliminary findings indicate that higher perceived parental relationship quality during childhood is positively associated with adult relationship satisfaction, whereas parental separation or the absence of a two-parent co-residential household is linked to lower relationship satisfaction levels. Overall, these early results underscore the importance of family relational environment as a potential intergenerational mechanism influencing individuals’ future relational well-being and highlight the long-term relevance of early family conditions. Future work will extend this study to the Italian context once relevant data become available.