Parents’ Marital Distress, Divorce, and Remarriage: Links With Daughters’ Early Family Formation Transitions

Abstract

We 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 continuously married parents was not related to any outcome. Offspring with single parents and remarried parents had an elevated risk of nonmarital births and nonmarital cohabitation. Offspring with remarried parents with a high-distress relationship had an elevated risk of early marriages and marital births. These results, combined with analyses of mediating variables, provide the strongest support for a modeling perspective, although some support also was found for a perspective based on escape from stress.

The adolescent family environment and cohabitation across the transition to adulthood

“…Consistent with prior research (Amato & Kane, 2011; Ryan et al, 2009), results indicate that individuals who were in a stepfamily or single-parent family during adolescence were more likely to cohabit than individuals from married biological parent families, as were individuals who were exposed to parental cohabitation (Smock et al, 2013). Results also suggest that youths' union formation behavior is less influenced by exposure to models of parental marital quality (consistent with Amato & Kane, 2011), and more impacted by family structure and the dynamics that are more prevalent in non-intact family households (e.g. exposure to family instability).…”

“…A similar measurement schema has previously been employed by family scholars interested in the joint influence of family structure and parental marital quality (Amato & Kane, 2011). Two questions from the Wave I parent interview were used to capture positive and negative dimensions of residential parents' marital relationship: marital happiness and conflict.…”

“…Parental socioeconomic resources have been linked with offspring union behavior, with individuals from lower SES backgrounds having a higher likelihood of cohabiting (Schoen, Landale, Daniels & Cheng, 2009), and more likely to start cohabiting or marry at earlier ages (Axinn & Thornton, 1992; Wilk, 2009). Research largely finds that individuals from non-intact family backgrounds have an increased likelihood of cohabiting, and do so at earlier ages (Amato & Kane, 2011; Ryan, Franzetta, Schelar & Manlove, 2009; Sassler, Cunningham & Lichter, 2009). Research also finds that individuals who have experienced a parental divorce have more negative views about marriage (Riggio & Weiser, 2008).…”

Teenage Cohabitation, Marriage, and Childbearing

“…Youth from single parent or divorced families experience earlier timing of family formation (Cavanaugh 2011; Martinez 2012; Musick and Meier 2010; Ryan et al 2009; Teachman 2004). Family background acts as indicator of economic resources and stress that are linked to earlier transitions to cohabitation and nonmarital fertility (Amato and Kane 2011). Race/ethnicity are associated with adolescent family formation patterns.…”

Associations of Mental and Behavioral Problems among Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence Previously and Visits with Their Fathers Who Perpetrated the Violence

“…In general, children exposed to their parents' divorce tend to be less welladjusted emotionally, socially, and behaviorally, and exhibit symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, anger, a decline in school performance, and externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggressive and noncompliant behavior), than those in non-divorced families [13] [14] [15]. Children's adjustment after their parents' divorce has been reported to be significantly associated with certain parenting characteristics: (1) a sufficiently warm, supportive, and sensitive parenting style to meet their child's needs and (2) the use of clear and consistent expectations and discipline methods by both the custodial and non-custodial parents [14].…”