Though a great deal of prior research has examined the stability of cohabiting unions and child wellbeing in cohabiting unions, little research has attempted to integrate these two concepts. Using 4 waves of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, I examine the determinants of long-term...

In response to rise of incarceration, there is a burgeoning literature examining the consequences of incarceration on families. Research has suggested that incarceration negatively impacts the well-being of partners connected to men with an incarceration history. However, research examining the...

Maternal parenting stress is associated with lower levels of life satisfaction and marital satisfaction, poor parent-child communication and disruptive child behavior. Belsky’s process model of parenting suggests that stress is influenced by three domains: maternal, child and contextual...

This paper uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being survey (N = 2,427) to examine the association between the chronicity and timing of maternal depression and child well-being. Maternal depression, particularly chronic depression, is linked to internalizing and externalizing...

Though sociologists have examined the consequences of mass imprisonment of African-American men on the incarcerated men, their families, and their communities, no study has considered its impact on racial disparities in educational achievement. Analyzing the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing...

This paper uses data from a subsample of the Fragile Families and Child Well-being survey (N = 1,799) to examine the relationship between parental depression and children’s developmental outcomes. Results suggest that parental depression when children are 12 months old, particularly maternal...

Despite the growing scholarly attention to fathers’ roles in family life, the consequences of fathers’ involvement with children for men’s well-being have been little explored. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N=3,880), we evaluate how fathers’ involvement...

To date, research on the linkages between paternal incarceration and family life has taken two forms. On the one hand, quantitative research tends to consider effects on child wellbeing and generally concludes paternal incarceration harms children. Qualitative research, on the other hand, tends...

While an extensive literature has shown that family structure is linked with child wellbeing, less well understood is how the dynamics within families affect children. Family systems theory posits that parents’ couple relationship is important for children’s well-being. In this paper, we use...

Housing security has long been recognized as an integral component of the economic, physical, and emotional health and wellbeing of individuals and families. The lack of access to safe and stable housing is viewed by many as an indicator of severe social exclusion, particularly for individuals...