TY - JOUR
T1 - Family Structure and the Mental Health of Children
T2 - Concurrent and Longitudinal Community-Wide Studies
AU - Kellam, Sheppard G.
AU - Ensminger, Margaret E.
AU - Turner, R. Jay
PY - 1977/9
Y1 - 1977/9
N2 - This study provides a map of variations of families and some of the core relationships between types of family and the mental health of children. Family types in a poor, black urban community were defined in terms of the adults present at home. The resulting taxonomy is based on two populations: half of the community's 1964 first-grade children and families and the entire 1966 first-grade children and families. Eighty-six family types were found, falling into ten major classes. Family type was found to be strongly related over time to the child's social adaptational status (SAS) and his or her psychological wellbeing. The results suggest that (1) mother alone families entail the highest risk in terms of social maladaptation and psychological well-being of the child; (2) the presence of certain second adults has important ameliorative functions—mother/grandmother families being nearly as effective as mother/father families, with mother/stepfather families similar to mother alone in regard to risk; and (3) the absence of the father was less important than the aloneness of the mother in relation to risk.
AB - This study provides a map of variations of families and some of the core relationships between types of family and the mental health of children. Family types in a poor, black urban community were defined in terms of the adults present at home. The resulting taxonomy is based on two populations: half of the community's 1964 first-grade children and families and the entire 1966 first-grade children and families. Eighty-six family types were found, falling into ten major classes. Family type was found to be strongly related over time to the child's social adaptational status (SAS) and his or her psychological wellbeing. The results suggest that (1) mother alone families entail the highest risk in terms of social maladaptation and psychological well-being of the child; (2) the presence of certain second adults has important ameliorative functions—mother/grandmother families being nearly as effective as mother/father families, with mother/stepfather families similar to mother alone in regard to risk; and (3) the absence of the father was less important than the aloneness of the mother in relation to risk.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0017706317&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0017706317&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1001/archpsyc.1977.01770210026002
DO - 10.1001/archpsyc.1977.01770210026002
M3 - Article
C2 - 901133
AN - SCOPUS:0017706317
SN - 0003-990X
VL - 34
SP - 1012
EP - 1022
JO - Archives of general psychiatry
JF - Archives of general psychiatry
IS - 9
ER -