Extended families and adolescent well-being

Abstract

Purpose To examine the association between adolescent well-being and the presence of non-parental adults in the household. Methods The sample for this study was obtained from the 1995 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The sample consists of adolescents who reside with parents and at least one non-parental adult. Non-parental adults include grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives. Two measures of adolescent well-being are examined: depressive symptoms and deviant behavior. Regression analyses include controls for family structure, parent and child characteristics, and parent-child relations. Results The presence of grandparents in the household is associated with less deviant behavior overall, and fewer depressive symptoms among Blacks. The presence of other adults such as aunts, uncles, and other relatives is associated with greater depressive symptoms overall, but less deviant behavior among adolescents in households with large numbers of siblings. Conclusions The association between extended families and adolescent well-being is not as straightforward as often assumed. Results point to the need for caution when discussing the benefits of such families as their impact varies with outcome of interest, the relationship to the child, and other characteristics within the family.