The authors used data from the Add Health study to estimate the effects of parents' marital status and relationship distress on daughters' early family formation transitions. Outcomes included traditional transitions (marriage and marital births) and nontraditional transitions (cohabitation and nonmarital births). Relationship distress among…

Since the 1970s, the share of U.S. children growing up in single-parent families has doubled, a trend that has disproportionately affected disadvantaged families. Paul Amato and Rebecca Maynard argue that reversing that trend would reduce poverty in the short term and, perhaps more important, improve children's growth and development over the long…

Examined effects of divorce and remarriage on adjustment and development of children. Elementary school children (N=172) and adolescents (N=170) reported on processes in mother-custody one-parent, mother-custody stepparent, and intact two-parent families. Children reported similar levels of support and punishment from mothers, regardless of family…

Compared respondents from national survey of Australian young adults who experienced parental divorce as children with respondents from two-parent families on attitudes toward marriage and family life. Compared to those from intact families, respondents from divorced families held more negative attitudes toward family of origin. Found few…

Children who experience parental divorce exhibit more problems, both as children and as adults, than do children from intact families, but the overall group differences between offspring from divorced and intact families are small. Factors that affect adjustment to divorce are discussed. (SLD)

Marriage and the family traditionally have been structured around the key functions of the nurturing and socialization of children. This report looks closely at how effectively and competently various family types manage these tasks. Containing a brief overview of the "Australian Children in Families Study," this report concentrates on…

The 1995 wave of the Add Health study is used to investigate the relative influence of parent gender and residence on patterns of parental involvement with adolescents. Adolescent reports (N=17,330) of shared activities, shared communication, and relationship quality with both biological parents are utilized. A multidimensional scaling analysis…

Compared 21 widowed mothers, 21 divorced mothers, and 21 married mothers on material, personal, family, and social well-being. Found that, compared with married mothers, divorced mothers revealed consistently lower levels of economic well-being, widowed mothers tended to have lower levels of personal well-being. Discusses implications for…

Compared competence of children and adolescents from two-parent families (N=201), one-parent families (N=89), and stepfamilies (N=55). Found that children in stepfamilies, compared with other groups, had lower reading ability, impulse control, and self-esteem, while children in two-parent families had lower level of everyday skills performance.…

Using longitudinal data, examined the impact of parental marital quality, divorce, and remarriage on the exchange of assistance between parents and offspring. Found that family members were able to adapt to alterations in family structure in a way that minimized the effects of changes by maintaining patterns of needed support. (RJM)

Among 13,017 national survey respondents, white males, white females, black females, and, to a lesser extent, Hispanic females, who experienced separation from a biological parent during childhood had lower levels of occupational attainment than those who lived continuously with both parents, but the effects were largely mediated by education and…

Among 1,243 adults nationwide, individuals who experienced parental divorce as children scored lower than those from happily intact families of origin on measures of psychological, social, and marital well-being. Multiple parental divorces and divorces involving deterioration of parent-child relations appeared particularly problematic. Contains 39…