Child Trends Research Brief: Parental Relationship Quality and Child Outcomes Across Subgroups

Author(s):  
Kristin A. Moore ◽  
Andrea Kinghorn ◽  
Tawana Bandy
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Roghani

This research examines the influence of family structure and parental relationship quality on young adults' first union formation (marriage and cohabitation) from the ages of 16 to 35. This study also examines whether the impact of the family varies significantly by age. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, an event history analysis is conducted to address how the mechanisms of social learning by family affect the timing and types of first union formation. This research shows an individual with lower parental relationship quality and parental divorce cohabit during adolescence and early adulthood to leave the familial conflict home environment. Furthermore, intact family and higher relationship quality between parents are associated with a greater likelihood of marriage than cohabitation. This study suggests that parental divorce during adolescence affects the timing and types of the first union formation. In contrast, parental divorce in the later stage of the transition to adulthood is not associated with the first family formation behavior. Although young adults with different levels of parental relationship quality had the same rates of marriage, lower marital relationship quality is associated with higher rates of cohabitating. Adolescents who suffer from parental divorce and lower parental relationship quality with better socioeconomic status have lower rates of cohabitating but the same odds of marrying with lower socioeconomic status counterparts. These findings suggest that future policy should include socioeconomic factors in assessing parents' relationships and their offspring's family formation behaviors


Author(s):  
Paula Vrolijk ◽  
Renske Keizer

AbstractUsing data from the multi-actor Divorce in Flanders survey, this study aimed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of linkages between children’s living arrangements after divorce and father-child relationship quality. First, we tested whether father involvement and co-parental relationship quality explained linkages between living arrangements and father-child relationship quality. Second, we examined whether child’s loyalty conflicts and child’s sex moderated associations between living arrangements and father-child relationship quality. Finally, we explored whether results differed when fathers or children reported on their relationship. Results show that father-child relationship quality (irrespectively of the reporter) was significantly higher for children living in JPC but only compared to children who live solely with their mother. Furthermore, father involvement explained the association between living arrangements and father-child relationship quality (again irrespectively of the reporter). The co-parental relationship also explained part of this association, but only when children reported on father-child relationship quality. The association between children’s living arrangement and father-child relationship quality was stronger for sons than daughters. This association did not differ by loyalty conflicts. These findings highlight the importance of enabling fathers to remain involved after divorce and having a positive co-parental relationship for maintaining high quality relationships between fathers and children.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Kuckertz ◽  
Hannah Carter ◽  
Michael Ichiyama

The tendency to conceal personal information from others that an individual perceives as negative or distressing (i.e., self-concealment). The tendency to “keep secrets” has been associated with negative health and emotional outcomes. While parent behaviors have shown to influence the development of self-concealment among children and adolescents, less is known about self-concealment among college-age adults where parental influences are less direct. This study examined perceptions of parenting style and parental relationship quality on the tendency to self-conceal in a sample of 772 college students. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were computed to analyze the sequential effects of parenting variables (relationship quality and parenting style) on self-concealment. Overall, higher levels of self-concealment in males were found. Effects of perceived parenting style on self-concealment showed differential effects by gender. Among male students, more favorable relationship quality with the father was linked to lower levels of self-concealment while a more Permissive maternal parenting style was associated with greater self-concealment. In females, both father and mother relationship quality were inversely related to self-concealment (more positive relationship quality, less self-concealment). Greater paternal Authoritative parenting style and lower maternal Authoritarian parenting style were associated with lower levels of self-concealment among female students. Findings suggest that perceived parenting behaviors may continue to influence important behavioral tendencies (in this study self-concealment) into emerging adulthood.   


2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 1298-1324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Trinder

This study explores the processes by which custodial mothers can support and inhibit fathers' relationships following divorce and separation. It draws on qualitative interviews with resident mothers and nonresident fathers from 54 separated families, including 22 sets of former couples. The study found that mothers adopt a range of strategies, from proactive gate opening to gate closing, and that these strategies appear influential. Maternal perceptions of paternal competence and child welfare beliefs, parental relationship quality, and parental role bargains were strongly linked to different types of maternal gatekeeping. Informed by systems theory, the interviews of former couples suggest that gate work, whether gate opening or gate closing, can be a dynamic transactional process rather than a linear and unidirectional process running from mothers to fathers.


2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Waples ◽  
Richa Aggarwal ◽  
Sharnail D. Bazemore ◽  
James F. Paulson

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