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Family Structure and Child Behavior in the United Kingdom

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Abstract

Child behavior problems are associated with an array of negative outcomes that can continue into adulthood. Because much of the social development and adjustment for children in early to middle childhood takes place in the home, families are of special interest in understanding child behavioral problems. Past research suggests an association between more stable family structures and healthier child behavioral outcomes. However, much of the research assessing behavioral outcomes has overlooked more complex family structure types and trajectories or has not considered how finer measures of family structure may clarify the connection between family structure and child behavior. Using the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), a longitudinal study of children in the United Kingdom, we examine the relationships between various types of family structure stability and instability on child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Our results suggest that internalizing behavioral problems differ only slightly across all eight family structure trajectories and are instead explained by differences in other family characteristics such as stress and parental selectivity. Conversely, we find that family structure and trajectories of family structure change are associated with child externalizing problems, independent of other family characteristics. Despite the increase in frequency and normalization of non-traditional family structures in the UK, such as cohabitation, single parent and stepparent families, we find that children in stable married families experience fewer externalizing behavior problems compared to children in other family structures.

Highlights

  • Examines the association between eight family structure trajectories and child behavior problems in the UK.

  • Family structure differences are related to externalizing behavior problems.

  • Family structures that are less stable are associated with more child behavior problems.

  • Family resources, stressors, and parental depression, not family structures per se, are related to internalizing behavior problems.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS), UCL Social Research Institute, for the use of these data and to the UK Data Service for making them available. Neither the CLS nor the UK Data Service bear any responsibility for the analysis or interpretation of these data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Brigham Young University, 2008 JFSB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA

    Jonathan A. Jarvis, Jared M. Poff & Mikaela J. Dufur

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Southern California, 851 Downey Way, HSH 314, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA

    Carolina Otero

  3. Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership, Old Dominion University, DCEPS 2307, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA

    Shana L. Pribesh

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  1. Jonathan A. Jarvis
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  2. Carolina Otero
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  3. Jared M. Poff
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  4. Mikaela J. Dufur
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  5. Shana L. Pribesh
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Correspondence to Jonathan A. Jarvis.

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Data gathered for sweeps 1-4 of the Millennial Cohort Study (MCS) received ethical approval from National Health Service (NHS) Research Ethics Committees (REC) in South West, London, and Yorkshire

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Jarvis, J.A., Otero, C., Poff, J.M. et al. Family Structure and Child Behavior in the United Kingdom. J Child Fam Stud 32, 160–179 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02159-z

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