New Estimates on the Effect of Parental Separation on Child Health

Abstract

This study examines the causal link between parental non-marital relationship dissolution and the health status of young children. Using a representative sample of children all born out of wedlock drawn from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we investigate whether separation between unmarried biological parents has a causal effect on a child's likelihood of developing asthma.Adopting a potential outcome framework to account for selection of relationship dissolution, we find that children whose parents separate within three years after childbirth are seven percent more likely to develop asthma by age three, compared to if their parents had remained romantically involved. We provide evidence that socioeconomically disadvantaged fathers are more likely to see the relationship with their child's mother end, and selection into relationship dissolution along these dimensions helps explain the poorer health outcomes found among out-of-wedlock children whose parents separate.

Family Structure and Adolescent Physical Health, Behavior, and Emotional Well-Being

“…The authors know of no study that focuses specifically on adolescent physical health, and only a handful of studies focus generally on child physical health. The current study's findings are consistent with those for children (Dawson 1991; O'Connor et al 2000; Bramlett and Blumberg 2007; Liu and Heiland 2007). This analysis of adolescent-reported measures of physical health finds that the health outcomes of adolescents residing with both of their biological parents are better than those for adolescents in all other family types (differences between adolescent and PCG reports are discussed below).…”

“…Results from a handful of studies suggest that, compared to young children living with both of their biological parents, young children living in other family types tend to fare worse on a range of health-related measures (Dawson 1991; O'Connor et al 2000; Bramlett and Blumberg 2007; Liu and Heiland 2007). Gaining specific knowledge about associations between family structure and adolescent health is important, because many of adolescents' key developmental milestones are assessed in terms of physical activity, physical abilities, and limitations that may substantially affect health-related quality of life (Ness et al 2008).…”

“…The authors are aware of no studies that directly assess the influence of family structure transitions on adolescent physical health, but studies of both young children and children of all ages find adverse associations (Mauldon 1990; Dawson 1991; Harknett 2005; Liu and Heiland 2007). …”

“…First, although there are a multitude of studies on cognitive, educational, behavioral, and socioemotional well-being, relatively few focus on children's physical health (for exceptions, see Angel and Worobey 1988; Dawson 1991; O'Connor, et al 2000; Harknett 2005; Bramlett and Blumberg 2007; Liu and Heiland 2007). Second, most studies utilize samples of children who reside with their biological mother; these samples allow for comparisons of children living with both biological parents, those living with their biological single mother, and those living with their biological mother and a social father, but such studies are unable to examine outcomes and characteristics of those living with their biological father but not their biological mother (for exceptions, see Brown 2004; Hofferth 2006; Manning and Brown 2006; Bramlett and Bloomberg 2007).…”

H. Engelhardt, H.-P. Kohler, and A. Prskawetz (eds), Causal Analysis in Population Studies: Concepts, Methods, Applications

“…(2) the impact of childbearing on household income (Francavilla and Mattei 2009) and, in particular, whether teenage childbearing adversely affects subsequent income development for women (Moffitt 2009), and (3) the effect of the separation of never-married parents on child health (measured as the presence of asthma at age 3) (Liu and Heiland 2009).…”