German Family Panel Pairfam Research Articles

Do Economic Hardship and Pressure Really Influence Parenting?

AbstractPoverty and its effect on parenting in the context of the family stress model have a long tradition in research, but results are rather mixed. Following this theoretical approach, we analyse whether poverty and financial pressure are associated with disrupted parenting. We draw on data from the German Family Panel pairfam and implement both between and within approaches to test whether parenting behaviours are associated with economic hardship and pressure. While basic between-group regressions confirm the link between economic hardship and parenting as predicted by the family stress model, we do not find a significant association of poverty and parenting when including additional confounders or using fixed-effects models. We conclude that rather than the financial situation itself unobserved heterogeneity causes differences in parenting behaviours between better and worse off families, at least in Germany.

Parental commuting and child well-being in Germany

The number of people commuting to work is increasing, including those who spend at least two hours travelling to and from work per day. In Germany, the group of these long-distance commuters comprises about 1.6 million people. To date, there has been little research on the possible consequences of long commuting times for family life and commuters’ children. On the basis of a pooled data set from the German Family Panel pairfam, we examine the relationship between parental commuting, the parent-child relationship and child well-being, both from the parent’s as well as the child’s perspective while also distinguishing between mothers and fathers. Some results indicate that long-distance commuting is associated with a poorer parent-child relationship and ultimately with lower child well-being. However, the association is rather sporadic and substantively weak.

Effects of Partner Presence During the Interview on Survey Responses: The Example of Questions Concerning the Division of Household Labor

Despite the fact that third parties are present during a substantial amount of face-to-face interviews, bystander influence on respondents’ response behavior is not yet fully understood. We use nine waves of the German Family Panel pairfam and apply fixed effects panel regression models to analyze effects of third-party presence on items regarding the sharing of household tasks between partners. We find that both male and female respondents report doing a smaller share of household tasks when their partner is present during the interview as compared to when their partner is not present. Similarly, if the respondent’s partner is present, both partners’ reports correspond more, so that they are less prone to resulting in unrealistically high sums. These results indicate that for items concerning household labor, partner presence does not compromise data quality but may in fact improve it.

Housing Affordability, Housing Tenure Status and Household Density: Are Housing Characteristics Associated with Union Dissolution?

Housing is an important dimension of social inequality between couples, but it has been largely ignored in prior research on union dissolution. Extending the literature that controlled for the stabilizing effect of homeownership, we investigate whether housing, measured as household density, housing tenure and housing affordability, is related to the risk of union dissolution. Based on data from the German Family Panel (pairfam), we analyze 3441 coresidential partnerships. We run discrete-time event-history models to assess the risk of separation within a time frame of 7 years. Housing affordability is found to be negatively related to the risk of union dissolution among couples, as those couples with a high residual income (i.e., household income after deducting housing costs) were less likely to separate than those with a lower residual income. By contrast, household density is found to be unrelated to separation. In line with previous research, our findings indicate that homeowners had more stable relationships than tenants. The analysis shows that this was the case regardless of whether the home was jointly owned or was owned by one partner only.

Relationship Satisfaction Across the Transition to Parenthood: The Impact of Conflict Behavior

The transition to parenthood is often accompanied by declines in relationship satisfaction. Using longitudinal data from six waves of the German family panel pairfam ( N = 1,739), the authors tested whether these declines are driven by increases in and more intense forms of conflict (differential exposure hypothesis) and by a greater sensitivity to relationship conflicts after the transition to parenthood (differential vulnerability hypothesis). The analyses showed strong support for the differential exposure hypothesis among women and partial support among men. Across the transition to motherhood, women experience increases in conflict that account for decreases in relationship satisfaction. The findings showed no support for the differential vulnerability hypothesis, as neither men’s nor women’s relationship satisfaction becomes more sensitive to relationship conflicts across the transition to parenthood.

(Eventual) stability and change across partnerships.

Does a new partnership differ from its preceding one? This study investigates whether relationship dynamics change as people transition from 1 partnership to another and examines a number of predictors that might explain variation in change trajectories. We draw on data gathered from 554 focal participants in the German Family Panel (pairfam) study surveyed at 4 time points spanning 2 intimate unions to answer these questions. Latent change score modeling results showed eventual stability in 5 of 7 constructs under investigation. When looking at overall change from Time 1 in Partnership 1 to Time 2 of Partnership 2, there were no mean-level changes in relationship and sexual satisfaction, perceptions of relational instability, or frequency of conflictual and intimate exchanges. Sexual frequency and partner admiration improved across partnerships. Further analyses showed much change unfolded in the interim; all constructs showed significant deterioration as Partnership 1 drew to a close, marked improvements as individuals moved from the end of Partnership 1 into their next union, and worsening across the 1st year of Partnership 2. Neuroticism and relationship length were the most consistent predictors of change across partnerships: Those in shorter Partnership 1 relationships and with higher neuroticism typically experienced decreases in functioning across partnerships. These findings provide support for an eventual stability conceptualization of relationship development across partnerships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The Relationship Between Religion and Intergenerational Solidarity in Eastern and Western Germany

This article investigated the relationship between religiosity and intergenerational solidarity in Germany, with a focus on differences between eastern and western regions that have maintained unique religious profiles that trace back to before unification. Based on data from Wave 6 (2013-2014) of the German Family Panel ( pairfam), 8,637 reports from 4,622 adult children about their relationships with mothers and fathers were analyzed. Using an index comprising four dimensions of the intergenerational solidarity model (distance, contact, closeness, and support), hierarchical linear regression demonstrated general support for the hypothesis that having a religious denomination is positively associated with the strength of intergenerational relations in Germany. However, this positive association is stronger in the more religious western part of Germany than in the highly secularized eastern part. These results emphasize the importance of taking social context and political history into account when studying core institutions of religion and families.

A systemic perspective on children’s emotional insecurity in relation to father: links to parenting, interparental conflict and children’s social well-being

ABSTRACTFocusing on the father-child-relationship in a family systems perspective, this paper investigates longitudinal links of parenting, interparental conflict, and positive regard by both parents, to their emotional insecurity with father and mother. Furthermore, to clarify fathers’ contribution to children’s social development, aspects of the relationship to both parents are jointly considered. The sample was drawn from the German family panel pairfam and included 372 family triads with parents’ and children’s self-reports. Findings revealed consistent associations between interparental conflict and lack of positive regard and emotional insecurity, while parenting had no independent links with children’s emotional insecurity or social adjustment. Controlling for the stability of child outcomes, interparental conflict predicted children’s lower prosocial behavior and higher peer rejection. In addition, peer rejection was predicted by children’s emotional insecurity with father. The findings are in line with the emotional security hypothesis and highlight the importance of the father-child-relationship for developing positive peer relationships.

Continuity Trumps? The Impact of Interviewer Change on Item Nonresponse

Allocating the same interviewer to each respondent over multiple waves is typically recommended for panel surveys. While some studies have investigated the effect of this strategy on unit nonresponse, there is scarce empirical evidence on how interviewer (dis-)continuity affects item nonresponse. This is surprising, given that the amount and pattern of item nonresponse is a crucial aspect of data quality. Using the first seven waves of the German Family Panel pairfam, we investigate whether interviewer continuity indeed influences item nonresponse. Our analysis differentiates between “I don’t know” responses and the complete refusal to answer, both with respect to the specific question of household income as well as the entire question program. By applying respondent fixed effects methods we can base our results on a within-person comparison, controlling for time-constant unobserved characteristics. Our analysis shows no detrimental effect of interviewer change over the panel; in fact, being assigned to a new interviewer even leads to lower refusal percentages. Only temporary dropouts showed lower percentages of “I don’t know” answers if an interviewer change occurred. Changes in social distance with respect to age and gender do not prove to be relevant mechanisms for this effect. However, both female and male respondents exhibit a higher likelihood of “I don’t know” responses over all questions when reassigned to a female interviewer. Reassignment to a more experienced interviewer produces less “I don’t know” answers.

Coresidence in the Transition to Adulthood: The Case of the United States, Germany, Taiwan, and Mainland China

This paper compares the prevalence and age-specific changes of coresidence patterns, by means of a classification of 12 coresidence types, for the age range from 16 to 30 in the United States (US), Germany (GE), Taiwan (TW), and mainland China (CN). Panel data were used in separate nested logistic regression models to estimate transitions in coresidence for individuals in each society in the transition to adulthood. On the first level, decisions to move from different types of family-of-origin-households were modeled, depending on intergenerational solidarity and parental resources. On the second level, target household types were modeled, depending on others’ trajectory events and their interaction with gender. The analysis used the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY97) from the United States, the German Family Panel (pairfam), the Taiwanese Youth Project (TYP), and the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Age-specific coresidence patterns were pooled and transitions probabilities were estimated for a two-year period. The systematic comparative approach makes it possible to correct misinterpretations based on analyses from single societies. Our results demonstrated that differences in coresidence patterns within the patrilineal, collectivistic societies (CN and TW), and within the bilineal, individualistic societies (US and GE) were as important as the differences between these two groups of societies.

Loose Ties? Determinants of Father–Child Contact After Separation in Germany

ObjectiveThis article examines the determinants of father–child contact in Germany after divorce and separation, with a special emphasis on the role of legal child support.BackgroundThe contact separated fathers have with their children is a policy‐relevant issue that has been intensively addressed in previous research for the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. For continental Europe, there has been far less research on this topic. This article investigated how fathers' union status at childbirth, custody arrangements, and past and present partnership dynamics affect the level of contact they had with their first‐born child from a prior union.MethodData were used from Wave 2 (2009–2010) to Wave 8 (2015–2016) of the German Family Panel pairfam (www.pairfam.de). With a final sample size of 285 fathers, population average logistic models were estimated that examined nonresident fathers' probability of having frequent contact versus having little or no contact with their first‐born children.ResultsWhether a nonresident father shared legal custody with the mother was a decisive factor in whether he had regular contact with his minor child, particularly if he was not living with the mother of the child at the time of delivery. There were strong interaction effects between having joint legal custody and the time since the parental separation. Joint legal custody did not have an immediate impact on father–child contact around the time of separation, but as time elapsed, men without joint legal custody were more likely to lose contact with their children than men with joint legal custody.ConclusionJoint legal custody may provide an institutional arrangement for separated parents to exercise their responsibility for the well‐being of their children and thus be conducive to regular father–child contact.

Public Child‐Care Expansion and Changing Gender Ideologies of Parents in Germany

This study investigates whether the expansion of public child care for children aged younger than 3 years in Germany has been associated with individual‐level change in gender ideologies. The authors develop and test a theoretical framework of the short‐term impact of family policy institutions on ideology change. The analysis links the German Family Panel pairfam (2008 to 2015) with administrative records on county‐level child‐care provision for those aged younger than 3 years and applies fixed effects panel models. The findings show that the child‐care expansion has been associated with moderate changes toward less‐traditional gender ideologies only among mothers in West Germany and mostly among mothers without a college degree. In East Germany, the authors found evidence of more traditional gender ideologies among mothers without a college degree as the child‐care reform unfolded. The results provide evidence that policy reforms may alter gender ideologies also in the short‐term.

Intergenerational Transfers: Associations with Adult Children’s Emotional Support of Their Parents

This study investigates how different factors in regard to intergenerational relationships are associated with emotional support given by adults to their parents. The analysis focuses on adult children and their parents in a representative German sample. Data were obtained from the second wave of the German Family Panel (pairfam) consisting of 2064 women and 1841 men. Results show that transfer of emotional support by the adult children was especially associated not only with received emotional support from parents, but also with affection, conflicts, and expectations concerning parents. A moderator analysis focuses on gender and showed differences for the association between given support by adults and conflicts between mothers and fathers. For the offspring, no gender effects were found.

Joint effect of education and age at childbirth on the risk of caesarean delivery: findings from Germany 2008–2015

ObjectivesThis article aims at assessing the joint effect of maternal age and education on the risk of having a caesarean delivery. As high maternal education is often associated with lower caesarean-birth rates, but high-educated women tend to postpone motherhood, these effects may offset each other in traditional analyses. Study designSecondary analysis of the data from the German Family Panel pairfam. MethodsThe interview-based data refer to 1020 births between 2008 and 2015. We analyse only reports from mothers and calculate logistic regression models. ResultsThe caesarean delivery rate differs strongly between education levels, and low-educated women are at higher risk of having a caesarean delivery when controlling for parity and age. A positive age gradient is found, indicating a higher risk of caesarean section for older mothers. Without controlling for age, the association of education and caesarean section risk is weaker, i.e., effects of age and education partially level each other out. A model including an interaction term between age and education confirms this result. ConclusionsThe risk of having a caesarean delivery does not differ between levels of education when maternal age is not taken into account. Lower maternal education and higher age are both positively associated with the risk of experiencing a caesarean section in Germany. However, as higher educated women tend to have their children later, effects of education and age weigh each other out. Preventive campaigns should target women with lower education and raise women's awareness on the risks associated with late motherhood.

Do Temporary Dropouts Improve the Composition of Panel Data? An Analysis of “Gap Interviews” in the German Family Panel pairfam

In the context of cross-sectional surveys, the scope of research on the impact of response enhancing strategies on sample composition and nonresponse bias is vast. This topic has rarely been addressed for panel studies, however, although these are becoming an increasingly important data source in social research. In this article, we evaluate the impact of reissuing wave nonrespondents on sample composition and survey estimates in the German Family Panel pairfam. In light of concerns about an adequate representation of life changes in panel studies, we focus on whether temporary dropouts improve sample composition in this respect: Using retrospective information from these cases provided at reentry, we approximate the impact of “lost” reports of life changes due to attrition. Our analysis reveals that the inclusion of temporary dropouts does increase sample variability regarding life changes. However, example analyses indicate that substantive conclusions would not be compromised if temporary dropouts were excluded.

Moving in or Breaking Up? The Role of Distance in the Development of Romantic Relationships

Most romantic relationships start with a living apart together (LAT) phase during which the partners live in two separate households. Over time, a couple might decide to move in together, to separate, or to remain together while maintaining their nonresidential status. This study investigates the competing risks that partners in a LAT relationship will experience the transition to coresidence or to separation. We consider the amount of time LAT partners have to travel to see each other to be a key determinant of relationship development. For our statistical analyses, we use seven waves of the German Family Panel Pairfam (2008/2009-2014/2015) and analyze couples in the age group 20-40years. We distinguish between short-distance relationships (the partners have to travel less than one hour) and long-distance relationships (the partners have to travel one hour or more). Estimating a competing risks model, we find that couples in long-distance relationships are more likely to separate than those living in close proximity. By contrast, the probability of experiencing a transition to coresidence is lower for LAT couples in long-distance than for those in short-distance relationships. Interaction analyses reveal that distance seems to be irrelevant for the relationship development of couples with two nonemployed (unemployed, in education or other inactive) partners.

Family planning under financial constraints

Abstract International evidence shows that contraceptive behavior depends, among other things, on socio-economic factors such as income and education. The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between low-income status and contraceptive behavior in Germany in more detail. As an indicator of low income we use the receipt of a means-tested benefit called “Unemployment Benefit II” (UB II). We assume that the transition into this benefit program is related to a change in women's contraceptive choices, in favor of using unpaid methods or no contraceptives at all. Using data from the German Family Panel pairfam, we focused on the use of any contraceptive method which involves costs to the user, as opposed to the use of methods which do not incur monetary costs (e.g., natural contraception) or the disuse of any contraceptives. Our bivariate logistic model on the pooled dataset shows that women receiving UB II without the intent to have children in the next two years are less likely to use paid contraceptives than non-recipients. However, this appears to be a spurious correlation, as the longitudinal hybrid model shows no relation between intrapersonal changes regarding UB II and the use of contraceptives subject to cost. This model also provides evidence that women with a migration background and lower education are less likely to use paid contraceptives.

Neighborhood Effects on Children’s Subjective Deprivation: Are Poor Children’s Perceptions of the Economic Situation in their Home Influenced by their Neighborhood?

Do social comparison effects exacerbate children’s subjective experiences of poverty? Research on relative income effects indicates that reference groups are relevant to an individual’s well-being. While these effects are rather well understood for adults, it is unclear whether children are affected in a similar way. In our analysis, we investigate if children in low-income families perceive the economic situation in their home differently if they live in a wealthy (as compared to a disadvantaged) neighborhood. Drawing on parent and child data from the German Family Panel pairfam (3600 observations from 1691 dyads) enriched with district-level neighborhood data, we analyze the association between neighborhood socioeconomic status and children’s perceptions of the financial situation in their home. Controlling for a number of indicators for the economic situation in the family such as household income, social welfare benefits, and parents’ perception of family finances, we find that children from low-income families feel less deprived if they are living in neighborhoods with a higher socioeconomic status. In contrast, for children from families with an equivalence income above the median regional equivalence income no neighborhood effects are found.

Stable Relationships, Stable Participation? The Effects of Partnership Dissolution and Changes in Relationship Stability on Attrition in a Relationship and Family Panel

Underrepresentation of life changes is an important issue for panel studies, which are designed to describe such changes. Little is known, however, about the impact of changes that are related to the survey topic. This paper examines the effects of partnership dissolution and changes in subjective relationship stability on participation in a panel with a focus on relationship and family. We consider both living apart together (LAT) and cohabiting relationships. Using 2008-2014 data from the German Family Panel pairfam (panel analysis of intimate relationships and family dynamics), our analyses support previous findings. Reported separation negatively affects the next wave’s participation probability. Effects can be found at the contact as well as cooperation stage of the response process, whereas cooperation only appears to be affected among respondents in LAT relationships. Changes in subjective relationship instability are not strongly associated with participation in the pairfam study.

The Impact of Union Dissolution and Divorce on Adolescents’ and Adults’ Relationships with their Parents

Using data of the German Family Panel pairfam, this article examines whether relationship-related transitions among adolescents and adults – separations with or without subsequent new relationships and transitions from being single to a relationship – impact different aspects of their relationship with their parents (contact frequency, intimacy, and conflict). Several competing hypotheses are tested. The resource hypothesis, following a supply-side argumentation, posits that relationships generate resources (i.e. social capital) that facilitate exchange with parents; relationship breakup implies resource deprivation and produces strain, which adversely affects the parent-child relationship (spillover hypothesis). According to the demand-based compensation hypothesis, horizontal relationships and vertical intergenerational relations are substitutively associated with each other; hence, exchanges between generations should be strongest when children are not involved in romantic relationships. The analyses yield evidence in line with both the compensation hypothesis (particularly among adolescents) and the spillover hypothesis (among adults). The effects are largely gender neutral.