Abstract
Mothers who had a nonmarital birth experience multiple risk factors for depression, including housing instability. Yet, important questions remain about the extent of long-term housing instability and its association with future depression among at-risk mothers. Using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study data, we examine cumulative housing instability over a 15-year period following nonmarital birth and its association with maternal depression. Based on a sample of 2279 mothers who had a nonmarital birth in 20 major US cities between 1998–2000, we examined their 15-year residential moves and housing arrangements. Then, we tested the associations between the cumulative residential moves and major depressive episodes (MDE) in Year 15 using logistic regression analysis. One in every four mothers had six or more residential moves in 15 years following a nonmarital birth. For each additional move, mothers reported up to 27.9% higher odds of having a past-year MDE in Year 15, translating into the prevalence increases from 6.0% (zero move) to 20.6% (10 moves). Our findings suggest that greater attention should be paid to housing needs among mothers following a nonmarital birth, including temporary housing assistance and more fundamental programs to reduce housing instability as preventive mental health services.
Highlights
The present study aims to examine cumulative housing instability risks over a 15-year period and their associations with depression among mothers after a nonmarital birth
Data were derived from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), a longitudinal cohort study of 4898 children born in the United States between 1998 and 2000
An examination of housing arrangement changes suggests that higher cumulative residential moves among the mothers following a nonmarital birth may be closely related to persistently low homeownership
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. US Mothers who give birth outside of marriage, disproportionately represented by. Black/Hispanic residents in urban areas, are exceedingly vulnerable for depression due to their elevated risks of multiple adverse life conditions [1,2,3]. Unmarried mothers at childbirth report a higher likelihood of living in poverty (33.7% with cohabiting partners and 52.9% without cohabiting partners) than their married counterparts, 12.3% [4]. A majority of these mothers continue to head their families while experiencing relational instability. Even among those who were cohabiting at the time of childbirth, 60%
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International journal of environmental research and public health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
