The Case for Mom and Dad

Abstract

An extensive and diverse body of research finds that, compared to children continuously living with two parents, married parents, or their own biological parents, children in other family arrangements consistently experience lower emotional wellbeing, physical health and academic achievement. Competing studies have variously attributed this difference to a lack of 1) married parents, 2) two parents, 3) complementary man/woman parents, or 4) family stability, but these possibilities have not previously been studied in combination. To address this question, family structure differences and determinants of child wellbeing (reverse coded to show child distress) were examined using the 2008-2018 National Health Interview Surveys (n=82,635). Separately, adjusted odds ratios (AOR) for child emotional problems were higher with fewer than two parents (AOR 1.42 95% CI 1.27-1.56), unmarried parents (1.46 95% CI 1.31-1.61), unstable parents (1.55 95% CI 1.27-1.76) or fewer than two biological parents (AOR 1.70 95% CI 1.55-2.87 for one biological parent; 4.77 95% CI 3.95-5.77 for no biological parents). When combined in the same model only the lack of joint biological parentage accounted for higher distress, with outcomes significantly worse without the biological father than without the biological mother (Interaction AOR 1.33 95% CI 1.04-1.71). This evidence strongly supports the claim that maximum child development occurs only in the persistent care of both of the child’s own biological parents. Marriage benefits children primarily by ensuring such care. Implications are discussed.