Children In Single-parent Households Research Articles

Subjective Poverty, Family Support and Health-Related Well-Being of School-Aged Children in Single-Parent Households in Ghana: The Role of Health Literacy and Duration of Parental Separation

This study expands ongoing inquiry and debates on the influence of single-parent households on child health outcomes, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the phenomenon is rapidly increasing. It examines how conventional (i.e., access to money for children—conceived as experience of poverty—, family support, and experience of social isolation) and contemporary (i.e., health literacy) factors shape the health-related well-being of children in single-parent homes in Ghana in the short-, medium- (five years or less) and long-term (6 years +). It also investigates the extent to which health literacy explains how other factors influence their health-related well-being. Data was gathered through a cross-sectional survey conducted in Kumasi in the Ashanti region of Ghana (n = 337). Based on binary logistic regression and structural equation modelling analysis, health literacy (Odds Ratio, OR, = 1.086, p < 0.05) and social isolation (OR, = 0.584, p < 0.05) were associated with the health-related well-being of children who had been separated from a parent for five years or less while family support (OR = 1.592, p < 0.05) was associated with the health-related well-being of children separated from a parent for more than five years. Health literacy explained the association of experience of poverty (β = -0.012, p < 0.05) and experience of social isolation (β = -0.010, p < 0.10) with their health-related well-being. However, these significant relationships did not differ according to the duration of separation. The results underscore the need to invest in policies and programmes that can reduce exposure to health risks and empower children in single-parent households to contribute to protecting their health-related well-being.

Empowering Single Parents: Navigating Socio-Economic Challenges and Fostering Resilience in Family Well-being

Single-parent households represent a diverse and growing family structure in contemporary society, often facing unique socio-economic challenges. This research seeks to comprehensively examine the role of single parents in meeting the socio-economic needs of their families, with a particular focus on the well-being of both parents and children. Through a mixed-methods approach encompassing quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, and an extensive review of existing literature, this study aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the complexities and resilience demonstrated by single-parent households. Our findings reveal that single parents employ a variety of coping strategies, including meticulous financial planning, seeking education and job opportunities, and building robust support networks. These strategies are essential in navigating the financial stress, time constraints, and emotional strain often associated with single parenthood. Moreover, children in single-parent households often exhibit resilience through adaptive thinking, effective emotion regulation, and seeking support from trusted adults. Quantitative analyses indicate that academic achievement and reported stress levels in single-parent households may differ slightly from those in two-parent households. However, it is essential to consider that these outcomes are influenced by numerous factors beyond household structure, including income levels and parental involvement. Furthermore, our research underscores the significance of accessible support systems, including government assistance programs, community organizations, and family networks, in alleviating these challenges. In light of these findings, this research proposes a series of policy changes and interventions aimed at improving the socio-economic well-being of single-parent households. These include strengthening child support enforcement, expanding access to affordable childcare, increasing investments in affordable housing, and enhancing education and job training programs tailored to single parents' unique needs. In conclusion, the socio-economic well-being of single-parent households is a multifaceted and vital concern in contemporary society. By recognizing the diverse strengths and challenges these families face and implementing inclusive policies and support systems, we can empower single parents and their children to thrive. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of single-parent dynamics and resilience while offering actionable recommendations to enhance their socio-economic prospects and foster a more inclusive future for all families.

Household structure, composition and child mortality in the unfolding antiretroviral therapy era in rural South Africa: comparative evidence from population surveillance, 2000–2015

ObjectivesThe structure and composition of the household has important influences on child mortality. However, little is known about these factors in HIV-endemic areas and how associations may change with the...

Abstract MP78: Race/Ethnic Disparities in Children’s Cardiovascular Health: The Role of Social Disadvantage in Early Life

Introduction: The loss of cardiovascular health (CVH) begins early in life and disproportionately affects racial/ethnic minorities, particularly children in single parent households, and households with lower education, family income and food insecurity. However, the contribution of these social determinants to CVH disparities in childhood are poorly understood. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that racial/ethnic differences in CVH among US children are explained by social disadvantages. Methods: Data from the 2013-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for children aged 2-18 (N=4,792) were used. CVH was measured using the AHA Life’s Essential 8 scores that combine nicotine exposure, diet, physical activity, sleep, body mass index, and blood pressure, lipids, and glucose. Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition methods were used to quantify the contributions of parental education, marital status and household income to poverty ratio, and food security to differences in CVH by race and sex. Results: Mean CVH score was highest among non-Hispanic White (mean [SE] = 73.7 [0.5]) than non-Hispanic Black (71.3 [0.6]) and Hispanic children (71.0 [0.4]). There was no significant difference among Black-White boys (mean differences [MD] = -1.52; 95% CI: -3.25, 0.21). Black girls had significantly lower CVH than White girls (MD= -2.66; 95% CI: -4.40, -0.91). Differences in parental college education accounted for 46% of the differences in CVH scores (MD = -1.21; 95% CI: -1.89, -0.54). Among Hispanic children, both boys (MD = -2.47; 95% CI: -4.22, -0.73) and girls (MD = -3.09; 95% CI: -4.60, -1.58) had significantly lower CVH scores than White boys and girls, respectively. Differences in parental education explained 66% of the difference in CVH among White-Hispanic boys and girls (MD= -0.66; 95%CI-1.11, -0.20; and MD= -0.66; 95%CI-1.20, -0.13). Discussion: Differences in parental college education largely explained lower levels of CVH among US Black and Hispanic children, a predictor of future cardiovascular disease.

Did Children in Single-Parent Households Have a Higher Probability of Emotional Instability during the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study in Japan.

The influence of public health measures against COVID-19 in Japan on child mental health by household type is unknown. This study aimed to investigate whether COVID-19 and the declaration of a state of emergency in Japan affected children’s mental health between single-parent and two-parent households disproportionately. A large cross-sectional online survey was conducted from August to September 2020. The study included 3365 parents with children aged 0–14 years old who reported their children’s mental status during the declared state of emergency. Emotional instability was reported dichotomously by parents. As the primary result, the probability of emotional instability was higher in single-parent households compared with that in two-parent households after adjustments for potential covariates; the adjusted prevalence ratio (95% CI) was 1.26 (1.07–1.49). Our findings suggest a disproportionate impact on children’s mental health due to the pandemic.

Association of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundations’ social determinants of health and Medicare hospitalisations for ischaemic strokes: a cross-sectional data analysis

ObjectiveSocial determinants of health (SDH) have previously demonstrated to be important risk factors in determining health outcomes. To document whether the SDH are associated with hospitalisations for ischaemic stroke.MethodsThis cross-sectional...

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Improves Children's Health Care Use: An Analysis of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's Natural Experiment.

To examine the impact of increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit levels as provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) beginning in April 2009 on the health care use and health care needs of participating children. Difference-in-differences analysis compared changes in health care use and needs between children in SNAP-eligible households and those in low-income but SNAP-ineligible households before and after ARRA's implementation, using data from the nationally representative National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Survey respondents reported on children's health care use and outstanding health care needs. Our sample included approximately 38,500 children in low-income households who completed the core NHIS, and a subsample of 15,000 sample children who reported additional information. Approximately 6% of low-income children had delayed care due to cost. Three percent and 4% of children in low-income households and low-income single-parent households, respectively, reported needing health care but not being able to afford it. The increase in SNAP benefits was associated with a 65% reduction in outstanding medication needs due to affordability among SNAP-eligible children, relative to low-income, ineligible children. There was also a reduction in the likelihood that children had seen a general doctor in the last year. Among children in single-parent households, SNAP benefit expansion was associated with a 3.2 percentage point decrease in needing but not being able to afford health care. Findings suggest that even a small increase in household resources leads to reductions in outstanding health care needs due to affordability, particularly among children.

The Association Between Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Factors and the Diagnosis and Treatment of Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Assessing race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) relationships with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis, treatment, and access to care has yielded inconsistent results often based only on parent-report. In contrast, this study used broader ADHD diagnostic determination including case-definition to examine these relationships in a multisite elementary-school-based sample. Secondary analysis of children with and without ADHD per parent and teacher-reported Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria evaluated SES, race/ethnicity, and other variables through simple bivariate/multivariable models within and across: parent-reported diagnosis, medication treatment, and meeting ADHD study case-definition. The total sample included 51.9% male, 51.3% White, and 53.1% with private insurance; 10% had parent-reported ADHD diagnoses while 8.3% met ADHD study case-definition. In multivariable models, White children had higher odds of parent-reported diagnoses than Black, Hispanic, and Other Race/Ethnicity children (p < 0.05), but only Hispanic children had lower odds of being case-positive (<0.05); males and children in single-parent households had higher odds of parent-reported diagnoses and being case-positive (p < 0.05); and children who were White, male, and had health insurance had higher odds of taking medication (p < 0.05). Among children who were case-positive, those with Medicaid, White, and 2-parent statuses had higher odds of parent-reported diagnoses (p < 0.05). Children with underlying ADHD appear more likely to have assessment/medication treatment access if they are White, male, have health insurance (particularly Medicaid), and live in 2-parent households. While boys and children raised by single parents may have higher rates of ADHD diagnoses, false-positive diagnostic risk also appeared higher, inviting further investigation.

Mother’s educational level and single motherhood: Comparing Spain and Italy

1. IntroductionOn average, 15% of European children live in one-parent households, most of them headed by women, and this kind of household has a higher risk of poverty than couple-headed households (OECD 2014). Furthermore, there is evidence that under some conditions, nurturing children in single-mother households has negative consequences for the children's cognitive and emotional development that affect them throughout their entire lives (see Sigle-Rushton and McLanahan 2004 for a review). In Southern European countries, described as family-based welfare regimes (Esping-Andersen 1999), state protection for children is among the lowest in the European Union. However, when comparing poverty ratios between children nurtured in single-parent families and those in two parent households, family-based regimes show smaller differences than other welfare regimes. In the mid-1990s the risk of poverty among children residing in single-parent families was as much as twice as high as the risk of poverty among children residing in two-parent households, while this ratio was much higher in the other Western nations (Luxembourg Income Study, Key Figures. Data from mid-1990's)It seems paradoxical that the relative standard of living of children in single-parent households is better where state social investment is lower. However, this ceases to be such a paradox when we take into consideration the composition effect of single parenthood in Southern Europe. Previous studies with data from the 1990s or early 2000s showed a positive relationship between single motherhood and educational level in Southern Europe (Flaquer, Almeda, and Navarro 2006; Garriga 2010; McLanahan 2004), while this relationship was negative in Northern Europe (McLanahan 2004; Kennedy and Thomson 2010). Furthermore, a high percentage of single mothers in Southern Europe live with their parents in order to balance work and family life or escape from poverty (Trevino 2006; Flaquer and Garriga 2009).The purpose of our study is to examine whether such a composition effect still exists in Southern Europe, given the changing social context characterized by: a) a dramatic change in labor market conditions, b) huge changes in the ethnic composition of the younger population as a result of massive immigration waves, and c) deep-seated changes in family values affecting divorce, cohabitation, and out-of-wedlock patterns. Given that all these changes have not happened with equal intensity among all southern countries, we have selected Spain and Italy as two cases representing two different trends (Moreno and Mari-Klose 2013). Our results confirm that the relationship between educational level and single parenthood has been clearly inverted in Spain, where we have observed a positive association between less-educated women and single motherhood, where the risk of becoming a single mother is now higher among the less-educated. Similar changes, though lower in intensity, are happening in Italy among younger women and in the wealthiest regions. All in all, these changes seem more related to long-term trends than to any effect derived from the economic crisis or migration.2. The Second Demographic Transition and educational variation in single parenthoodSingle parenthood arises from widowhood, out-of-wedlock birth, divorce, and remarriage. Single parenthood is an option for very young girls who get pregnant out of wedlock, most of them from working-class or underclass backgrounds (Kearney and Levine 2012). This source of single parenthood is more frequent in the American continent than in Western Europe, with the exception of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and is very rare in Southern Europe (Part et al. 2013). Widowhood is another source of single parenthood, and for a long time it was the main cause of single parenthood in societies where divorce was forbidden or tightly restricted by law, such as in pre-democratic Spain (Flaquer 1998). Widowhood is more frequent among the lower social strata, given their shorter life expectancy. …

Impact of a Father Figure's Presence in the Household on Children's Psychiatric Diagnoses and Functioning in Families at High Risk for Depression.

The consequences of living in single-parent households on children's wellbeing are well documented, but less is known about the impact of living in single-mother households among children with high familial risk for depression. Utilizing data from an ongoing three-generation study of high-risk families, this preliminary study examined a sample of 161 grandchildren of probands diagnosed with major depressive disorder, comparing those in single-parent households to those in dual-parent households with household status defined as the full-time presence of a resident male in the home. High-risk children were compared across households in terms of psychiatric diagnoses (measured by Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children; K-SADS-PL) and global functioning (assessed by Global Assessment Scale, child version; C-GAS). Results indicated that high-risk children in single-parent households had 4.7 times greater odds for developing a mood disorder and had significantly lower mean C-GAS scores (p = 0.01) compared to those in dual-parent households. Differences remained significant when controlling for household income, child's age, and either parent's depression status. There were no significant differences between high-risk children across households when household status was instead defined as legal marital status. This study has several limitations: sample size was small, pro-bands were recruited from a clinical population, and participants had not passed completely through the period of risk for adult psychiatric disorders. These findings point towards the importance of identifying and closely monitoring children at risk for depression, particularly if they reside in households without a resident father figure.

Unintended consequences of welfare reform for children with single parents: a theoretical analysis

This paper formulates a model to examine the effects of changes in tax-benefit policy on the behavior of divorced parents and the well-being of children in single-parent households. Noncustodial parents choose the level of a child support payment to transfer to custodians. These, in turn, decide over child good expenditures and the allocation of time between market work and parenting. Our main finding shows that welfare policies that subsidize childcare expenditures or reduce withdrawal rates, which are most certainly intended to improve the conditions of working single parents and their children, could actually have the reverse effect.

Analysis of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and the impact of family structure on children's well-being in the United States

Different family structures can significantly impact the well-being of children. From 1980 to 2008, reported births to unwed mothers in the United States rose from 18.4% to 40.6% and children in single-parent households in the United States increased from 19.5% to 29.5%. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (2001–2005) collected data on 13 582 American children 5–19 years old. A multiple-regression analysis tested for differences regarding family structure and income and the MEPS results on physical health, mental health, Body Mass Index (BMI) and class attendance. Level of significance for the study was p < 0.05. Children from single-mother households had significantly higher absentee rates than children from single-father households. Children from single-father families had significantly better rates of well-being when compared to single-mother families in general by income level. Children from higher income households had significantly better rates of mental and physical health and lower BMI and absentee rates.

Parental status and childhood obesity in Australia

The overall aim of this study was to examine obesogenic factors in children from single and dual parent families. Data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) (8,717 children) were analyzed to examine the differences in children's activity levels, dietary intake and BMI according to parental status and determine the likelihood of childhood overweight and obesity in a single-parent household. There were higher rates of overweight and obesity in girls aged four to nine whose parents were single (OR 1:60). Children in single-parent households watched more television, ate more food high in fat and sugar and less fresh fruit and vegetables than children from dual-parent households. The findings suggested that an additive effect of dietary and activity variables may contribute to the higher rates of overweight and obesity in Australian children, and that girls from single-parent households may be particularly at risk.

The Effects of Internet Searching and TV Viewing by Children in Single-Parent Households on Peer Relationship and Achievement

The Effects of Internet Searching and TV Viewing by Children in Single-Parent Households on Peer Relationship and Achievement

Variations in Family Structure and School-Age Children's Academic Achievement: A Social and Resource Capital Perspective

Data from the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey, Kindergarten Class of 1998–1999 (ECLS–K) involving more than 300 children who continuously resided in different variations of families from kindergarten through fifth grade were used to test the usefulness of social capital theory for understanding the academic improvement of school-age children over two points in time. Social capital theory was found to be a useful framework for explaining academic achievement for single-parent, stepparent, and biological family forms. Analyses revealed that children's change scores in reading and math differed across the three variations in family type. Children in single-parent households scored significantly lower than children from both biological and married stepparent households.

Correlates of Reinjury Risk in Sibling Groups: A Prospective Observational Study

The objective of this study was to identify child, parent, and family characteristics that are associated with short-term recurrence of injury within sibling groups. A prospective cohort study was conducted of 92 children who were aged 0 to 15 years and treated for injury at a regional pediatric trauma center and their 166 siblings. The outcome of interest was a second or subsequent injury in the sibling group, occurring within 3 months of the index injury event. Explanatory variables included injury variables, child factors (age, gender, previous injury experience, behavior problems, and traumatic stress symptoms), parental factors (age, education, social support, depressive symptoms, and traumatic stress symptoms), and family factors (socioeconomic status, family function, family structure, and life events). Poisson regression was used in multivariable models with statistical adjustment for clustering within sibling groups. More than 19% of families had at least 1 child injured or reinjured during 3 months of follow-up. The rate of reinjury to index children (8.7%) was similar to that in siblings (7.2%). Controlling for age, gender, and race, the risk for reinjury during follow-up was increased with single-parent family structure (relative risk [RR]: 3.39 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.69-6.80]), receipt of public assistance (RR: 3.65 [95% CI: 1.61-8.28]), and clinically significant posttraumatic stress disorder arousal symptoms in the child (RR: 3.76 [95% CI: 1.51-9.33]). Along with their siblings, children who receive treatment for injury are at short-term risk for additional injury. Children in single-parent households, in families who receive public assistance, and those with posttraumatic stress disorder arousal symptoms 1 month after injury to themselves or a sibling are at highest risk. These associations could be used to develop interventions to identify and support families through periods of high injury risk.

Unintended Consequences of Welfare Reform: The Case of Divorced Parents

This paper formulates a model to examine the effects of changes in tax-benefit policy on the behavior of divorced parents and the well-being of children in single-parent households. Noncustodial parents choose the level of a child support payment to transfer to custodians. These, in turn, decide over child good expenditures and the allocation of time between market work and parenting. In general, ex-spouses fail to achieve an efficient allocation of their resources. On the custodial side, there are inefficiently high levels of labor supply and inefficiently low levels of expenditures on child goods, while on the noncustodial side child support payments are suboptimally low. Our results rationalize the adverse effects that welfare reforms might have on divorced parents and their children. Such adverse effects may arise because an increase in the custodian's effective wage, either through lower marginal income tax rates or higher childcare subsidies, reinforces the inefficiencies of divorced parents' decisions: that is, such an increase further depresses child support transfers from noncustodial parents and induces custodial parents to work even more. We explore several extensions of this model, link our findings to the existing empirical literature on the impacts of welfare reform, and discuss the implications of our results for policy and further economic analysis.

Decreasing Nonmarital Births and Strengthening Marriage to Reduce Poverty

Since the 1970s, the share of U.S. children growing up in single-parent families has doubled, a trend that has disproportionately affected disadvantaged families. Paul Amato and Rebecca Maynard argue that reversing that trend would reduce poverty in the short-term and, perhaps more important, improve children's growth and development over the long term, thus reducing the likelihood that they would be poor when they grew up. The authors propose school and community programs to help prevent nonmarital births. They also propose to lower divorce rates by offering more educational programs to couples before and during marriage. Amato and Maynard recommend that all school systems offer health and sex education whose primary message is that parenthood is highly problematic for unmarried youth. They also recommend educating young people about methods to prevent unintended pregnancies. Ideally, the federal government would provide tested curriculum models that emphasize both abstinence and use of contraception. All youth should understand that unintended pregnancies are preventable and have enormous costs for the mother, the father, the child, and society. Strengthening marriage, argue the authors, is also potentially an effective strategy for fighting poverty. Researchers consistently find that premarital education improves marital quality and lowers the risk of divorce. About 40 percent of couples about to marry now participate in premarital education. Amato and Maynard recommend doubling that figure to 80 percent and making similar programs available for married couples. Increasing the number of couples receiving services could mean roughly 72,000 fewer divorces each year, or around 65,000 fewer children entering a single-parent family every year because of marital dissolution. After seven or eight years, half a million fewer children would have entered single-parent families through divorce. Efforts to decrease the share of children in single-parent households, say the authors, would almost certainly be cost effective in the long run and could reduce child poverty by 20 to 29 percent.

Explaining sibling differences in achievement and behavioral outcomes: The importance of within- and between-family factors

Most research on child behavioral and cognitive outcomes focuses on the impact of variables measured across families—holding a number of other characteristics constant. However, this research is limited in that it does not capture variation in child developmental outcomes that occurs within families. To address these limitations, we examine correlations of child outcomes between siblings from the same family. We conduct this analysis for several demographic subgroups. Furthermore, to better understand how these inequalities are generated within families, we also examine the impact of individual level characteristics within families using fixed effects models. Results from our between-family analyses indicate that siblings with fewer family resources are more similar on behavioral outcomes compared to siblings in more privileged families. However, children in two-parent households perform more similarly on age-adjusted achievement tests than do children in single parent households. Results from our within-family sibling comparisons reveal that first born children generally outperform their younger siblings on age-adjusted achievement tests.

Mortality, severe morbidity, and injury in children living with single parents in Sweden: a population-based study

Growing up with one parent has become increasingly common, and seems to entail disadvantages in terms of socioeconomic circumstances and health. We aimed to investigate differences in mortality, severe morbidity, and injury between children living in households with one adult and those living in households with two adults. In this population-based study, we assessed overall and cause-specific mortality between 1991 and 1998 and risk of admission between 1991 and 1999 for 65085 children with single parents and 921257 children with two parents. We estimated relative risks by Poisson regression, adjusted for factors that might be presumed to select people into single parenthood, and for other factors, mainly resulting from single parenthood, that might have affected the relation between type of parenting and risk. Children with single parents showed increased risks of psychiatric disease, suicide or suicide attempt, injury, and addiction. After adjustment for confounding factors, such as socioeconomic status and parents' addiction or mental disease, children in single-parent households had increased risks compared with those in two-parent households for psychiatric disease in childhood (relative risk for girls 2.1 [95% CI 1.9-2.3] and boys 2.5 [2.3-2.8]), suicide attempt (girls 2.0 [1.9-2.2], boys 2.3 [2.1-2.6]), alcohol-related disease (girls 2.4 [2.2-2.7], boys 2.2 [2.0-2.4]), and narcotics-related disease (girls 3.2 [2.7-3.7], boys 4.0 [3.5-4.5]). Boys in single-parent families were more likely to develop psychiatric disease and narcotics-related disease than were girls, and they also had a raised risk of all-cause mortality. Growing up in a single-parent family has disadvantages to the health of the child. Lack of household resources plays a major part in increased risks. However, even when a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic circumstances are included in multivariate models, children of single parents still have increased risks of mortality, severe morbidity, and injury.