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International Journal of Environmental... Dec 2022A large body of research shows that children who live with two married biological parents have lower levels of externalizing and internalizing behavior problems compared...
A large body of research shows that children who live with two married biological parents have lower levels of externalizing and internalizing behavior problems compared to their peers in other family structure, including cohabitating biological families. Such patterns suggest that marriage provides a uniquely protective family environment, though we know less about children in the obvious counterfactual case: married stepfamilies. While research suggests children with stepfathers have more behavior problems than those living with married biological parents, we know little about how children with stepmothers fare, or how children with stepparents fare compared to those living with cohabiting biological parents. We use the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) sweep 6 to compare children living with married biological parents, married fathers and stepmothers, and cohabiting biological parents. We find that family structure has no significant relationship with children's internalizing behavior problems, but that children living with a stepmother and biological cohabitating families exhibit more externalizing behavior problems than do those living with married biological parents. Covariates that indicate both physical and social family environments must be considered together to explain differences in married-parent families on externalizing behavior problems.
Topics: Male; Female; Humans; Child; Marriage; Cohort Studies; Mothers; Family Characteristics; United Kingdom
PubMed: 36554424
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416543 -
Nutrients Jul 2022Due to changing household types and weakening of family functions, children have fewer opportunities to develop healthy lifestyle patterns from contact with family...
BACKGROUND
Due to changing household types and weakening of family functions, children have fewer opportunities to develop healthy lifestyle patterns from contact with family members compared to the past. In this paper, we evaluate the association between household type and adolescents' fast-food consumption, focusing on whether they were living with their parents or not, and determine their reasons for not living with their parents.
METHODS
This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior web-based survey between 2017 and 2020. The subjects were students in grades 7-12. The outcome variable was a frequency of fast-food intake of ≥5 times per week. The main independent variable was the type of household: (1) living with both parents; (2) living with a single parent (one of father, mother, stepfather, stepmother); (3) not living together, but having parents; and (4) having no parents.
RESULTS
Participants without parents were more likely to eat fast food frequently than those living with both parents. Among boys, not having parents and living in a dorm or boarding house or living with other family members or relatives were significantly associated with frequent fast-food intake; among girls, not having parents and living in a dorm or boarding house were significantly associated with frequent fast-food intake.
CONCLUSION
Adolescents having no parents have a higher risk of frequent fast-food intake than those living with both parents. Further studies are needed to address household types in greater detail.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Fast Foods; Fathers; Feeding Behavior; Female; Humans; Male; Republic of Korea
PubMed: 35893878
DOI: 10.3390/nu14153024 -
PloS One 2022This study examines the associations between ten family structure types and delinquency, including four groups of symmetrical and asymmetrical living arrangements. We...
OBJECTIVES
This study examines the associations between ten family structure types and delinquency, including four groups of symmetrical and asymmetrical living arrangements. We also adjust for attachment to parents and parental monitoring.
METHODS
Data are drawn from four cross-sectional surveys conducted between 2016 and 2019 in southern Sweden. The sample consists of 3,838 adolescents, aged 14-15. Negative binomial models were used to calculate the associations between family structure and delinquency.
RESULTS
The results show that those living in single-father, single-mother, father-stepmother, mother-stepfather families report significantly more delinquency than adolescents living with both their parents. Adolescents living in "symmetrical" family arrangements, i.e. both parents are single or have a new partner, reported lower levels of delinquency, whereas adolescents living in "asymmetrical" family arrangements, i.e. where either the mother or the father, but not both, have a new partner, reported higher levels of delinquency. Most of the associations between family structure and delinquency decline when adjusted for attachment to parents and parental monitoring.
DISCUSSION
This study shows that it is important to move on to the use of more detailed categorisations of family structure in relation to delinquency. We need to increase our knowledge about the group of adolescents that moves between parents and especially about the different constellations of asymmetrical and symmetrical living arrangements.
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Cross-Sectional Studies; Family; Humans; Juvenile Delinquency; Models, Statistical; Parents
PubMed: 35417470
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265964 -
Perceptions of Closeness in Adult Parent-Child Dyads: Asymmetry in the Context of Family Complexity.The Journals of Gerontology. Series B,... Nov 2020Multi-actor data show that parents' and adult children's evaluations of their relation do not necessarily match. We studied disagreement in parent- and child-reported...
OBJECTIVES
Multi-actor data show that parents' and adult children's evaluations of their relation do not necessarily match. We studied disagreement in parent- and child-reported closeness, comparing parent-child dyads involving separated parents, non-separated parents, and stepparents to shed new light on today's diverse landscape of adult parent-child relations.
METHOD
Using data from the Parents and Children in the Netherlands (OKiN) survey, we analyzed closeness in parent-child dyads (N = 4,602) comparing (step)parents' and their adult children's (aged 25-45) reports. To distinguish directional disagreement (i.e., differences in child- and parent-reported means) from nondirectional disagreement (i.e., the association between child- and parent-reported measures), while accounting for absolute levels of closeness, we estimated log-linear models.
RESULTS
All types of parents tend to report higher levels of closeness than their children. Whereas parental overreport is more prevalent among biological father-child dyads than among biological mother-child dyads, we found no differences between biological dyads and stepdyads. The association between children's and parents' reports is higher among dyads involving stepmothers or married mothers than among those involving separated mothers and (step)fathers.
DISCUSSION
The intergenerational stake (i.e., parental overreport) is not unique to biological parent-child relations. Instead, patterns of disagreement seem most strongly stratified by gender.
Topics: Adult; Adult Children; Aged; Family Conflict; Female; Humans; Intergenerational Relations; Male; Netherlands; Parent-Child Relations; Parents; Sex Factors; Social Perception; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 32777051
DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbaa122 -
Journal of Marriage and the Family Apr 2020This study examines the support from stepparents to adult children and considers the role of the composition of the parent network, that is, the presence or absence of...
OBJECTIVE
This study examines the support from stepparents to adult children and considers the role of the composition of the parent network, that is, the presence or absence of the biological mother or father.
BACKGROUND
Going beyond previous research that compared the support provided by different types of parental households, this study provides deeper insights into adult stepfamily dynamics by considering support transfers on the stepparent-stepchild dyad level.
METHOD
The analyses were based on data from the Ouders en Kinderen in Nederland (Parents and Children in the Netherlands) survey, which was conducted among a stratified random sample of Dutch adults (aged 25-45) with stepparents reporting on support from each of their stepparents ( = 4,351) and biological parents ( = 5,460) separately.
RESULTS
The results revealed different stories for stepmothers and stepfathers. Within-child analyses showed that, controlled for the duration of coresidence, children received less types of support from their stepmother than from their biological mother, whereas among fathers, the stepfather provided more. When compared between children, stepmothers provided less types of support if their stepchild's biological mother was still alive, whereas stepfathers' support was unaffected by the biological father's presence. Stepparents of both genders provided less types of support if their partner (i.e., the child's biological parent) was deceased.
CONCLUSION
These findings articulate the central role of the biological mother in postseparation families and the ambiguous position of the stepmother and "widowed stepparents."
PubMed: 32214457
DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12599 -
Reproductive Health Dec 2019Early menarche has been associated with father absence, stepfather presence and adverse health consequences in later life. This article assesses the association of...
BACKGROUND
Early menarche has been associated with father absence, stepfather presence and adverse health consequences in later life. This article assesses the association of different family compositions with the age at menarche. Pathways are explored which may explain any association between family characteristics and pubertal timing.
METHODS
Cross-sectional, international data on the age at menarche, family structure and covariates (age, psychosomatic complaints, media consumption, physical activity) were collected from the 2009-2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey. The sample focuses on 15-year old girls comprising 36,175 individuals across 40 countries in Europe and North America (N = 21,075 for age at menarche). The study examined the association of different family characteristics with age at menarche. Regression and path analyses were applied incorporating multilevel techniques to adjust for the nested nature of data within countries.
RESULTS
Living with mother (Cohen's d = .12), father (d = .08), brothers (d = .04) and sisters (d = .06) are independently associated with later age at menarche. Living in a foster home (d = -.16), with 'someone else' (d = -.11), stepmother (d = -.10) or stepfather (d = -.06) was associated with earlier menarche. Path models show that up to 89% of these effects can be explained through lifestyle and psychological variables.
CONCLUSIONS
Earlier menarche is reported amongst those with living conditions other than a family consisting of two biological parents. This can partly be explained by girls' higher Body Mass Index in these families which is a biological determinant of early menarche. Lower physical activity and elevated psychosomatic complaints were also more often found in girls in these family environments.
Topics: Adolescent; Age Factors; Body Mass Index; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Family Characteristics; Fathers; Female; Global Health; Health Behavior; Humans; Male; Menarche; Mothers; Schools; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 31805955
DOI: 10.1186/s12978-019-0822-6 -
Psychiatry Investigation Nov 2019The image of the wicked stepmother has created a prejudice against stepmothers, which makes it difficult for them to adjust to their stepfamilies. This study compared...
OBJECTIVE
The image of the wicked stepmother has created a prejudice against stepmothers, which makes it difficult for them to adjust to their stepfamilies. This study compared fairy tales from different cultures to reestablish the nature of stepmothers.
METHODS
Grimms' Fairy Tales (GFT) was used to represent Western culture, with stepmother characters appearing in 15 out of 210 tales. "The Collection of Korean Traditional Fairy Tales" (KFT) was used to represent Eastern culture, with stepmother characters featured in 14 out of 15,107 tales. We examined the relationships between stepmothers and stepchildren in GFT and KFT.
RESULTS
Daughters were abused more often than sons in both genres. In GFT, jealousy spurred the abuse in 12 of 15 cases, while in KFT greed was predominant in 12 of 14 cases.
CONCLUSION
The fairy tale portrayals of wicked stepmothers may be associated with the stigma children place on their stepmothers, which needs to be overcome.
PubMed: 31648426
DOI: 10.30773/pi.2019.0132 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2019Parental drinking habits or binge drinking are a known risk factor of child maltreatment. Though drinking habits are affected by alcohol outlet density, the direct...
Parental drinking habits or binge drinking are a known risk factor of child maltreatment. Though drinking habits are affected by alcohol outlet density, the direct association between alcohol outlet density and child maltreatment is still controversial. This study aimed to examine the impact of off-premises alcohol outlet density on child maltreatment cases reported to Child Guidance Centers in Japan. A fixed effects model was used to investigate the association between a change in off-premises alcohol outlet density and a change in child maltreatment cases in each unit. Time-series of cross-sectional ecological data collected from across Japan over 16 years (2000 to 2015) was used, and maltreatment cases were further sub-grouped by type of maltreatment (physical, sexual, psychological abuse and neglect) and by perpetrators (father, stepfather, mother, and stepmother). The association between alcohol outlet density and total cases of child maltreatment was not observed (coefficient = 0.98, 95% confidence interval: -6.30, 8.25). However, alcohol outlet density was shown to be positively associated with neglect (coefficient = 3.08, 95% confidence interval: 0.54, 5.62), which indicates that 1 alcohol outlet per 1,000 adults increase would lead to 3 more neglect cases per 10,000 children. Also, a negative association was observed between a change in the incidence of total child maltreatment by father and a change in alcohol outlet density (coefficient = -3.03, 95% confidence interval: -5.78, -0.28). The findings suggest that off-premises alcohol outlet density may have a causal effect on the increasing cases of neglect and decrease in maltreatment by father in Japan.
PubMed: 31637225
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00265 -
Demography Oct 2019Previous research on the impact of parental loss on labor market outcomes in adulthood has often suffered from low sample sizes. To generate further insights into the...
Previous research on the impact of parental loss on labor market outcomes in adulthood has often suffered from low sample sizes. To generate further insights into the long-term consequences of parental death, I use the Historical Sample of the Netherlands (HSN). The HSN contains occupational information on life courses of a sample of more than 8,000 males and almost 7,000 females born between 1850 and 1922, a period of important labor market transformations. Roughly 20 % of the sample population experienced parental death before age 16. Linear regression models show that maternal loss is significantly associated with lower occupational position in adulthood for both men and women, which points to the crucial importance of maternal care in childhood for socioeconomic outcomes in later life. This interpretation is supported by the finding that a stepmother's entry into the family is positively related with sons' occupational position later in life. In contrast to expectations, the loss of economic resources related to the father's death is generally not associated with lower status attainment in adulthood for men or for women. The results indicate, however, that the negative consequences of paternal death on men's socioeconomic outcomes decreased over time, illustrating the complex interaction between individual life courses and surrounding labor market transformations.
Topics: Age Factors; Child; Female; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; Humans; Income; Linear Models; Male; Maternal Death; Netherlands; Occupations; Parental Death; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 31420844
DOI: 10.1007/s13524-019-00808-z -
The Journal of Nervous and Mental... Apr 2018To clarify the origins of parent-child resemblance for drug abuse (DA), using national Swedish data, we fit path models to information on DA in parents and children from...
To clarify the origins of parent-child resemblance for drug abuse (DA), using national Swedish data, we fit path models to information on DA in parents and children from six informative family types: i) not-lived-with father, ii) not-lived-with mother, iii) stepfather, iv) stepmother, v) triparental, and vi) adoptive. From these families, we estimated parent-offspring resemblance reflecting the effects of genes + rearing, genes only, and rearing only. The estimates of parent-offspring correlations were statistically homogenous across family types. The weighted estimate of the father-offspring correlation for DA for genes + rearing, genes-only, and rearing-only relationships were, respectively, +0.26, +0.19, and +0.06. Parallel figures for mother-offspring relationships were +0.19, +0.13, and +0.09. In both genes + rearing and genes-only parent-offspring relationships, DA correlations were stronger for fathers than for mothers. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute substantially to parent-offspring resemblance for DA and seem to be additive.
Topics: Child, Adopted; Female; Humans; Male; Parent-Child Relations; Parents; Risk Factors; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 29252928
DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000775