Family structure trajectories and early child health in the UK: Pathways to health

Publication date: Available online 11 May 2019Source: Social Science & MedicineAuthor(s): Lidia Panico, Melanie Bartley, Yvonne Kelly, Anne McMunn, Amanda SackerAbstractA large body of literature has shown marked differences in the average levels of resources and child well-being across different family structures. Studies have examined cognitive, educational and behavioural outcomes; less is known about differentials in physical health, and about dynamics in early childhood.Furthermore, up to the present time, less emphasis has been placed on describing the underlying mechanisms relating childhood experience of family structure to health. In this paper, we hypothesize that socio-economic characteristics and family structure trajectories will affect every-day, more proximal processes (material, behavioral and family stress pathways) directly experienced by the child, which will in turn affect child health.Using the UK Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative cohort of over 19 000 children born in 2001 and living in the UK shortly thereafter, we employ Graphical Chain Models to map the processes linking family structure trajectories to three physical health outcomes at age 5: overweight/obesity, respiratory health, and accidental injury. We construct family trajectories to highlight two components: status (distinguishing between married, cohabiting and single parents), and (in)stability.We show that both status, the (in)stability of that status, and their interpl...
Source: Social Science and Medicine - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research