Effects Of Family Structure Research Articles

The effect of the elderly and child care on household carbon emissions

The aim of this work is to investigate the different implications in terms of the elderly and child care on household carbon emissions in China. We estimate the effect of family structure on household carbon emissions in the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), by means of the STIRPAT model. The results indicate that significant differences exist between the effect of the elderly and child care on each household's carbon emissions. Moreover, there is a negative effect between the elderly and household carbon emissions with an elasticity coefficient of −0.029, and a positive effect between children and household carbon emissions with an elasticity coefficient of 0.008. Interestingly, the elderly and children have an interactive effect on carbon emissions except for housing carbon emissions. To be specific, the elderly and child care have a mutual inhibition effect on the health carbon emissions of household, whereas they have a mutually reinforcing effect on other carbon emissions. Low carbon emissions paths in household should be urgently explored, and deliberate policy action is required to achieve carbon emissions reduction.

Exploring the effect of kin caregivers' family functioning on child survival in South Africa: An application of the Family Systems Theory

AbstractThe survival of children who are raised in kinship care is largely influenced by the way their primary caregivers manage their family dynamics. Although research has focused on the effects of family structure and other extended kin effects on various child health outcomes, it remains largely unknown how kin caregivers' family functioning influences child survival, particularly in the South African context where the practice of kinship care is widely spread. An inductive thematic approach was employed, and data were collected from 24 kin caregivers who were providing care to under‐five children. Analysis of the data resulted in the development of three superordinate themes, namely, (1) relationship with family members, (2) poor relationships and (3) family attachment and communication. Each superordinate theme was linked to subthemes that helped explain the phenomenon under study. Overall, the kin caregivers' family environments serve as both protective barriers and risk factors for child survival depending on the state of familial relationships, collaboration and involvement of other kin within the households of primary kin caregivers. This translates into the survival of children being greatly determined by the family environment in which they live and the quality of care that they receive in that family environment.

Effects of Family Structure on School Retention in Eswatini: Results from Sitakhela Likusasa Study

Effects of Family Structure on School Retention in Eswatini: Results from Sitakhela Likusasa Study

DOES THE FAMILY STRUCTURE AFFECT THE HEALTH RISK BEHAVIOR OF ADOLESCENTS IN BRAZIL?

The purpose of this study is to estimate the effect of family structure on the risky behavior of Brazilian adolescents and to analyze the effect according to the levels of education (elementary school and high school). This analysis uses data from the PeNSE (National Student’s Health Survey) of 2015 which provides information about health behaviors among 13 to 17 years old Brazilian students. The sample is subdivided in Elementary School and High School. Estimations were made using the propensity score matching method (PSM) and the risky behaviors considered for the estimation were: consumption of alcohol, cigarettes, and illicit drugs. Thus, the results suggest that being raised in a disruptive family has negatively affects the health risk behavior of adolescents when analyzed by the issue of substance use, mainly when it comes to the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes.

Family structure and depressive symptoms among older adults in China: A marginal structural model analysis

BackgroundMental well-being in the aging population is inevitably linked to families due to the reliance of older adults on family members. This study investigates the causal relationship between family structure and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults in general and between gender and residential areas. MethodsWe used China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) panel data, covering four data collection rounds over seven years. Family structure was classified into single-member, couple, nuclear family, and extended family. Taking into account time-varying confounding, we estimated the causal effects of family structure on depressive symptoms using marginal structural models. ResultsOlder people with cumulative exposure to single-member family type had an increased odds of depressive symptoms by an average of 33 % (95 % CI: 1.22–1.44) than their counterparts who lived in the couple family. Additionally, older people living in extended families also had 6 % higher odds of experiencing depressive symptoms (95 % CI: 1.00, 1.11). The longitudinal associations were consistent across gender groups and residential areas (p-value for interaction is 0.6638 for gender and 0.7043 for the residential area). LimitationThe time-varying confounders (e.g., chronic health conditions) included in the analysis are based on self-reported data, which may be subject to measurement errors. ConclusionThe risk of depressive symptoms is greater for older individuals living alone and in extended families. Screening for depression in the older population, particularly those living in “at-risk” households, is recommended.

Unpacking the linkages between single parent households and early adolescent adjustment

Living with an unmarried mother is consistently associated with adjustment issues in adolescence, but these associations can vary by both time and place. Following life course theory, this study applied inverse probability of treatment weighting techniques to data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979) Children and Young Adults study (n = 5,597) to estimate various treatment effects of family structures through childhood and early adolescence on internalizing and externalizing dimensions of adjustment at age 14. Young people who lived with an unmarried (single or cohabiting) mother during early childhood and adolescence were more likely to drink and reported more depressive symptoms by age 14 than those with a married mother, with particularly strong associations between living with an unmarried mother during early adolescence and drinking. These associations, however, varied according to sociodemographic selection into family structures. They were strongest for youth who more closely resembled the average adolescent living with a married mother.

The effect of family structure on physical activity levels among children and adolescents in Western China in the era of COVID-19

PurposeThis study aimed to examine the levels of physical activity (PA) among children and adolescents in western China, and the influence of parents on their PA, in the era of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).MethodsThis cross-sectional study used a multistage questionnaire to evaluate 4800 children and adolescents of grades 4–12 (9–17 years old) from 48 primary and secondary schools across 16 districts and counties in western China. In addition to PA, questionnaires collected data on demography, family structure, and exercise habits. Data were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and analyzed using chi-square tests, t-tests, Spearman’s correlation, and logistic regression models in SPSS.ResultsIn this study, a minority (42.1%, n = 1553) of children and adolescents met the daily exercise target (60 min) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) level of boys was significantly higher than that of girls. Regardless of sex, children with the highest MVPA levels were those in grades 4–6, and PA levels decreased with increasing age. Furthermore, for every hour of increase in the daily MVPA of parents, the MVPA also increased by 6.1–13.9 min in children and adolescents. Moreover, areas of higher economic development were associated with lower levels of MVPA.ConclusionsOverall, this study found a low level of MVPA in children and adolescents of western China; both family structure and parental activity have a significant influence on the children's PA levels. Besides, the impact of COVID-19 on PA levels has not been entirely negative.

The effect of older sibling, postnatal maternal stress, and household factors on language development in two- to four-year-old children.

Previous literature has shown that family structure affects language development. Here, factors relating to older siblings (their presence in the house, sex, and age gap), mothers (maternal stress), and household size and residential crowding were assessed to systematically examine the different roles of these factors. Data from mother-child dyads in a Singaporean birth cohort, (677-855 dyads; 52% males; 58% to 61% Chinese, 20% to 24% Malay, 17% to 19% Indian) collected when children were 24, 48, and 54 months old, were analyzed. There was a negative effect of having an older sibling, moderated by the siblings' age gap, but not by the older sibling's sex, nor household size or residential crowding. Maternal stress affected language outcomes in some analyses but not others. Implications for understanding the possible effects of family structure on language development are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The association between family structure and adolescent physical activity levels: a systematic review

BackgroundAdolescent physical activity is influenced by biological, psychological, sociocultural, and environmental factors; however, no systematic review to date has explicitly explored the effect of family structure. This systematic review aims to identify and synthesise evidence for the effect of family structure on adolescent physical activity levels. MethodsWe searched six databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Sociological Abstracts. Search terms used included “adolescence”, “family structure”, and “physical activity”. The search was limited to peer-reviewed studies with a quantitative component published from Jan 1, 2010, to Feb 8, 2022, with no restrictions imposed on the language, country, and year the data were collected. Studies looking at adolescents aged 10–19 years and any association between family structure and physical activity levels were included. Screening of studies occurred in duplicate. Data were extracted and study quality was assessed (in duplicate) before narrative synthesis, which followed the SWiM guidelines. This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42020221090. FindingsIn total, 30 studies met the inclusion criteria: 17 (57%) looked at global physical activity and 13 (43%) at leisure physical activity and sport participation. 29 (97%) of 30 studies used a cross-sectional study design and 27 (90%) assessed the outcome through a survey, with 16 (53%) reporting a significant association between family structure and adolescent physical activity. Ten (33%) of 30 studies used multivariable regression; in these studies, nuclear family structure was shown to be associated with higher physical activity levels in eight (27%) studies, of which seven were good quality studies, looking at middle adolescent in high-income countries. Two (7%) of 30 studies reported the opposite effect, with one looking at a disadvantaged sample and the other at physical exercise class attendance and active transport. InterpretationImproving our understanding of social determinants of adolescent physical activity levels could help inform strategies to promote healthier behaviour. Current evidence suggests that adolescents in nuclear families engage in more physical activity, however robust high-quality longitudinal studies are required to further investigate the long-term effect. FundingNone.

Family Environment and Rural Child Development in Shanxi, China

The family environment in rural Northwest China has undergone significant changes as a result of the accelerated migration of rural populations. We constructed an indicator system for measuring the development of rural children in northwest China and use Shanxi as an example to conduct field research on the effects of family structure on children’s education. We constructed a children’s comprehensive development index for regression analysis using the principal component method. We also built a mediating effect model based on the importance of parents’ involvement in their children’s development. Then, we examined the influence mechanism between family structure and children’s development in northwest rural areas. Finally, we found that family structure significantly affects the development of rural children in Shanxi Province, especially two-parent families. Furthermore, parental emotional involvement has a significant mediating effect on rural children’s development. Due to low parental emotional involvement, children from absent families are less developed than children from intact families. Moreover, parental behavior plays a significant role in mediating the relationship between family structure and child development. Due to a lower level of parental behavioral involvement, children from absent families are less likely to achieve comprehensive development than children from intact families. Consequently, we should set up a comprehensive management system that integrates family, schools, and local communities for the sustainable development of children.

Association between family structure and physical activity among medical students

Introduction: Lack of physical activity has become a tremendous health problem in young people, notably in the digital communication era. Due to burdensome academic tasks, the situation may be more rigorous for medical students. The family structure is supposed to influence children’s physical activity patterns.Aim of the study: This study aimed to investigate the effect of family structure on physical activity levels in medical students.Methods: This cross-sectional study was followed by 109 students; 75 (68.8%) were female. Gender, family structure, parents’ level of physical activity, number of families, and the presence of grandparents were included as independent variables. In contrast, students’ level of physical activity was a dependent variable. Data on independent variables were obtained through a guided interview. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was applied to assess students’ level of physical activity. Variables were dichotomously categorized to simplify statistical testing. Chi-square was applied to reveal the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: 39 (35.8%) students had low IPAQ score, 47 (43.1%) moderate, and 23 (21.1%) high. Most students (61.4%) lived in a nuclear family. There were 55 students (50.5%) who lived with family members less than 5; only 31 (28.4%) reported the presence of grandparents in their homes. Most students’ parents reported doing sufficient regular exercise (73.1%). Students’ IPAQ score was associated with the family type (OR 3.56, 95% CI 1.53–8.20, p = 0.002) and the presence of grandparents (OR 3.76, 95% CI 1.57–9.00, p = 0.002).Conclusion: Medical students who lived in a nuclear family and lived without their grandparents had higher physical activity levels.

Family structure and delinquency: Antisocial cognition as a mediating mechanism.

This study investigates the direct and indirect effects of family structure on future delinquency using cognitive insensitivity and cognitive impulsivity as mediators. Employing a sample of 845 middle school students (406 boys, 439 girls), this study examined the effects of family structure on future delinquency and antisocial cognition as students progressed through the middle school years-that is, sixth through eighth grade. Family structure, assessed as a three-level variable (two-parent home vs. stepparent/grandparent home vs. single-parent home) or as a two-level variable (two-parent/stepparent home vs. other), predicted delinquency 2 years later. Adding antisocial cognition-cognitive insensitivity and cognitive impulsivity-to the model produced significant indirect effects in which both cognitive insensitivity and cognitive impulsivity mediated the family structure-delinquency relationship. Based on these results, it would appear that antisocial cognition plays a salient role in the association known to exist between family structure and later delinquency. Theresearchand practical implications of these results include a call for greater use of a mediation methodology when studying the family structure-delinquency relationship and finding ways to assist families in creating control and moral values in their children.

Cross-national variation in the association between family structure and overweight and obesity: Findings from the Health Behaviour in School-aged children (HBSC) study

BackgroundTrends of increased complexity in family structure have developed alongside increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity. This study examines cross-national variations in the likelihood of living with overweight and obesity among adolescents living with one parent versus two parents, as well as the influence of living with stepparents, grandparents and siblings. Furthermore, the study explores how these associations relate to age, gender and individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) and country-level SES. We hypothesised that adolescents living in one-parent versus two-parents families, were more likely to live with overweight and obesity. MethodsThe study is based on nationally representative data from 41 countries participating in the 2013/14 Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children study (n = 211.798). Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations between family structure and overweight and obesity by age, gender, SES, and geographic region, among adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 years. ResultsLiving with one versus two parent(s) was associated with a higher likelihood of overweight and obesity (ORadj.1.13, 95%CI 1.08,1.17). Age, gender, individual-level SES, and living with grandparents were also associated with a higher likelihood of overweight and obesity, whereas living with siblings was associated with a lower likelihood of overweight and obesity. The effect of family structure varied also by age and gender with no significant associations found between living with one parent and overweight and obesity in the 15-year-old age group. Some cross-national variation was observed, and this was partly explained by country-level SES. The effect of family structure increased by a factor 1.08 per one-unit change in country-level SES (OR 1.08, 95%CI1.03, 1.12). ConclusionThe study indicates that living in a one-parent family, as well as living together with grandparents, are associated with overweight and obesity among adolescents, particularly in the Nordic European region. Existing welfare policies may be insufficient to eliminate inequalities related to family structure differences.

Interlinking Structural Racism and Heteropatriarchy: Rethinking Family Structure's Effects on Child Outcomes in a Racialized, Unequal Society.

In the field of family science and in the broader family policy discourse, debate is ongoing about the importance of family structure for child outcomes. Missing from this debate is a full integration of how the foundational pillars of White supremacy, namely structural racism and heteropatriarchy, impact both family formation and child outcomes, especially among diversely configured Black families. From a critical intersectional lens, we argue that conceptual models used to explain racialized child outcomes based on family structure effects are problematic because they compare family structure statuses without accounting for structural racism and interlinked heteropatriarchal conditions. We present a new conceptual model that integrates structural racism and heteropatriarchy to examine the salience of family structure statuses for child outcomes and discuss approaches to research design, empirical measurement, and interpretation in order to bring this new model into practice.

Estimating the Importance of Families in Modeling Educational Achievement Using Linked Swedish Administrative Data

While the family is a critical determinant of educational achievement, methodological difficulties and the availability of data limit estimation of the family contribution in school effectiveness models. This study uses multilevel modeling to estimate the proportion of variation in student educational achievement between families, family-level intraclass correlation coefficients, and specific family structure effects (family size, birth order, birth spacing, sibling sex ratio). We use cross-classified random effects to account for school and neighborhood variation. We analyze Swedish administrative education records linked with birth records for four academic cohorts of students, with siblings identified from a wider pool of 21 cohorts. We show that almost half of the variation in student achievement described as “between students” in traditional school effectiveness studies would be better described as variation “between families,” suggesting effectiveness research might give greater consideration to family-based interventions in tandem with existing student- and school-based approaches to raising low achievement.

The Heterogeneous Effects of Family Structure on Early Child Health


 Background
 Ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age by 2030 is one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. Data from the 2013-14 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey shows that there has been improvements in some indicators of child health over the years and this has coincided with the widespread demographic changes in family formation. It’s hypothesized that children from monogamous households tend to have much better health outcomes compared to single or polygynous households. This study therefore set out to examine the effect of heterogeneous family structures on early child health.
 Methods
 Using data from the 2013-14 ZDHS, the study employed the Kids Recode (KR) data file which contains information about children under the age of five (5) of interviewed women. The analysis was conducted at three levels: descriptive, bivariate and multivariate.
 Results
 The study established that family structure had a statistically significant effect on early child health and that there was heterogeneity in the health outcomes of the children from different forms of marriage, with the ever married and polygamous marriage categories showing higher odds of having underweight children. The study also established that mother’s nutrition status, region, sex of child, mother’s age at birth of the child and child vaccination were also among other factors associated with the early child health in Zambia.
 Conclusion
 There is need for the government to implement policies that will limit the exposure of children to adverse health which would require more costly interventions later in life.

Gendered Diverging Destinies: Changing Family Structures and the Reproduction of Educational Inequalities Among Sons and Daughters in the United States.

The prevalence of nontraditional family structures has increased over time, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Because children's socioeconomic attainments are positively associated with growing up in a two-parent household, changing family structures are considered to have strengthened the reproduction of social inequalities across generations. However, several studies have shown that childhood family structure relates differently to educational outcomes for sons than for daughters. Therefore, we ask whether there are gender differences in the extent to which changing family structures have contributed to the college attainment gap between children from lower and higher socioeconomic backgrounds. We use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and 1997 cohorts to estimate extended Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition models that take into account cross-cohort changes in the prevalence of family structures and heterogeneity in the effects of childhood family structure on college attainment. We find that the argument that changes in family structures contributed to diverging destinies in college attainment holds for daughters but not for sons. This result is due to the different changes over time in the effects of childhood family structure by gender and socioeconomic background.

Family Structure of The Malaysian Indian Youth Involved in Gangsterism

Gang culture and gangsterism among Indian youth has become very popular in the country over the past few years. This study attempts to describe the effect of family structure on the Indian youths who are involved in gangsterism. The study employs an inductive approach based on a combination of subjectivism and interpretivist philosophies in a qualitative research (semi structured, face to face individual interview guide). The findings showed that the family has direct and incredible influences to initiate them into crime. Their childhood and family background, their current family relationships, and associations between background or family characteristics are being the main factor. The failure to provide proper communication and a concrete family structure tremendously increases the ratio of youngsters engaging in gangsterism. The data for this study were collected from the Indian youths’ those are already members of gangs and practice gangsterism.

THE IMPACT OF SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES’ SOCIAL VULNERABILITIES ON CHILDREN

The current work describes the single-parent family in theory from the perspective of the vulnerable social group, which requires state intervention for protection and specialized and adapted support. The characteristics of social vulnerability and the types of vulnerabilities are being presented synthetically in order to identify the vulnerability of the social group of the single-parent family. Among elements of vulnerability of the single-parent family a special presentation is given to those that negatively impact the shaping of children character educated amidst such groups, as they emerge from the specialized studies on the matter. We are aiming the low academic achievement of such children, more prevalent criminal behaviour, integration problems in the school environment and in the students’ group, features that may be influenced by the absence of a parent, by financial and emotional problems of family members. The single-parent family stands for a social unit with a more and more prevalent identification in contemporary society, which makes up for a legitimate object of interest as to knowing data on its functionality, the difficulties it faces, the quality of its relations with society, the positive and negative elements that mark childrens’ life. The profile of the single-parent family and membership to this type of family may have an influence through destructured internal family social capital, so that the family’s structural deficiencies, family relations that do not match an optimal family environment, lead to medium and long-term effects on child development. By acknowledging the effects of family structure on the behaviour of single-parent family children, a certain framework of potential actions and steps may be outlined which can provide them with a safety net and can ensure them with the fundamentals of an adequate social, academic and professional life. On the ground of shared responsibility, this approach must involve all significant actors that have potential of active and proactive involvement in relation to the issue of children from single-parent families.

The roles of family resources and family structure in moving from the parental home and village among young Indonesians

AbstractThis study assesses the effects of family resources and family structure among young Indonesians on the likelihood of leaving the parental home and village in general and for three types of reasons: work, education, and marriage. Using all five waves of the Indonesia Family Life Survey, we find that the effects of family resources and structure differ by reason for moving. For example, parental education is positively related to moving for education, but not to moving for work or marriage. We also find that being the oldest child is positively related to moving in general and belonging to an extended family is negatively related to moving for work. Our results suggest that moving from the parental village for work, education, and marriage are different processes. Furthermore, while some of the findings are in line with previous findings for leaving home in Western countries, other findings are typical of developing countries.