The study was published in the September issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.

The "premarital cohabitation effect", which has been studied by social scientists for several years, and appears to be a real fact in terms that two people who live together before getting married are more likely to struggle during marriage.

Authors Michael Rosenfeld and Katharina Roesler conclude that the struggles of these couples mean an increased risk of divorce. They contend that past researchers who have argued that the cohabitation effect disappeared were biased, looking at short-term rather than long-term effects. ...