TY - JOUR
T1 - Family structure instability, genetic sensitivity, and child well-being
AU - Mitchell, Colter
AU - Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne
AU - Garfinkel, Irwin
AU - McLanahan, Sara
AU - Notterman, Daniel
AU - Hobcraft, John
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.
PY - 2015/1/1
Y1 - 2015/1/1
N2 - The association between family structure instability and children’s life chances is well documented, with children reared in stable, twoparent families experiencingmore favorable outcomes than children in other family arrangements. This study examines father household entrances and exits, distinguishing between the entrance of a biological father and a social father and testing for interactions between family structure instability and children’s age, gender, and genetic characteristics. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and focusing on changes in family structure by age (years 0–9), the authors show that father exits are associated with increases in children’s antisocial behavior, a strong predictor of health and well-being in adulthood. The pattern for father entrances is more complicated, with entrances for the biological father being associated with lower antisocial behavior among boys and social father entrances being associated with higher antisocial behavior. Child’s age does not moderate the association; however, genetic information in the models sharpens the findings substantially.
AB - The association between family structure instability and children’s life chances is well documented, with children reared in stable, twoparent families experiencingmore favorable outcomes than children in other family arrangements. This study examines father household entrances and exits, distinguishing between the entrance of a biological father and a social father and testing for interactions between family structure instability and children’s age, gender, and genetic characteristics. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and focusing on changes in family structure by age (years 0–9), the authors show that father exits are associated with increases in children’s antisocial behavior, a strong predictor of health and well-being in adulthood. The pattern for father entrances is more complicated, with entrances for the biological father being associated with lower antisocial behavior among boys and social father entrances being associated with higher antisocial behavior. Child’s age does not moderate the association; however, genetic information in the models sharpens the findings substantially.
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U2 - 10.1086/680681
DO - 10.1086/680681
M3 - Article
C2 - 26046228
AN - SCOPUS:84928955675
SN - 0002-9602
VL - 120
SP - 1195
EP - 1225
JO - American Journal of Sociology
JF - American Journal of Sociology
IS - 4
ER -