Family and housing instability: Longitudinal impact on adolescent emotional and behavioral well-being

  • Patrick J. Fowler
  • , David B. Henry
  • , Katherine E. Marcal

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    93 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    This study investigated the longitudinal effects of family structure changes and housing instability in adolescence on functioning in the transition to adulthood. A model examined the influence of household composition changes and mobility in context of ethnic differences and sociodemographic risks. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health measured household and residential changes over a 12-month period among a nationally representative sample of adolescents. Assessments in young adulthood measured rates of depression, criminal activity, and smoking. Findings suggested housing mobility in adolescence predicted poorer functioning across outcomes in young adulthood, and youth living in multigenerational homes exhibited greater likelihood to be arrested than adolescents in single-generation homes. However, neither family structure changes nor its interaction with residential instability or ethnicity related to young adult outcomes. Findings emphasized the unique influence of housing mobility in the context of dynamic household compositions.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)364-374
    Number of pages11
    JournalSocial Science Research
    Volume53
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 2015

    Keywords

    • Adolescence
    • Family instability
    • Household composition
    • Housing instability
    • Longitudinal
    • Young adulthood

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