Most children in the U.S. today will experience one or more changes in family structure. The present study explores the implications of this trend for child development by investigating the conditions under which family structure changes matter most to child well-being. Using data from the Maternal and Child Supplement of the National Longitudinal…

Many young children born to unwed parents currently live with their biological mothers and their mothers' new partners (social fathers). This study uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (N = 1,350) to assess whether involvement by resident social fathers is as beneficial for child well-being as involvement by resident…

Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Survey (N= 3,567), we examine the links between relationship status, relationship quality, and race and ethnicity in breastfeeding initiation. We consider four relationship types: married, cohabiting, romantically involved but not cohabiting (termed visiting), and nonromantically involved…

We compare contemporaneous and retrospective reports of cohabitation among unmarried mothers in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing survey (N = 2,524). We find that (a) many mothers revise their reports of whether they cohabited at the time of the birth of their child and (b) revisions in reports are systematically related to individuals'…

Compares the psychological adjustment of adolescent mothers (n=27) with that of adolescent nonmothers (n=27), single adult mothers (n=27), and married adult mothers. Adolescent mothers reported greater life enjoyment and well-being than adolescent nonmothers, but more mental health problems and less well-being than married adult mothers. (SR)

Considers how different types of economic support, received soon after the birth of a first child, contribute to the later self-sufficiency of young, unmarried mothers. Findings suggest that certain economic supports assist these mothers and that life choices they make after their child's birth are important to self-sufficiency. (RJM)

Examined socioemotional adjustment, academic performance, and global well-being of adolescents in intact first-married, divorced single-parent, step-, and continuously single mother families. Found that adolescents in first-married families have slightly higher scores on all three dimensions, but few differences are statistically significant. Also…