Work

Family Structure History: Links to Relationship Formation Behaviors in Young Adulthood

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: Using data from three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N=4,538), we examine the intergenerational link between parental family structure history and relationship formation in young adulthood. We investigate: (a) first, whether parental family structure history is associated with young adults' own relationship formation behaviors; (b) second, which dimensions of family structure history are most predictive of children's later relationship formation behaviors; and (c) third, if the association between family structure history and young adulthood relationship formation differs by gender. Our findings provide evidence of an intergenerational link between parent relationship histories and their offspring's own relationship formation behaviors in young adulthood, over and above confounding factors.

Source: Journal of Marriage and the Family

DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00645.x

Authors: Suzanne Ryan, Kerry Franzetta, Erin Schelar, Jennifer Manlove

Institutions: Child Trends, Chapin Hall

Language: English

Topic: Family Dynamics and Relationships

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Awards: Intergenerational Patterns of Relationship Turbulence, The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, Nonmarital Childbearing: Social Policy & Union Formation