Three-Generation Family Households and Child Wellbeing
type: CreativeWork
description: The skills acquired in the first few years of life are critical in preparing children for school and for long term development. Families play a primary role in the development of cognitive and social skills as well as physical health. Changes in family structure that have occurred over the last several decades have resulted in fewer children growing up in a two parent married household; however, few children are raised by just one parent. Many children spend time in a three-generation family household, in which a grandparent, parent and child coreside. To date, little research has described the prevalence or correlates of three-generation family households or looked at the association between three-generation family coresidence and child wellbeing during early childhood. To fill this gap in the literature this dissertation was structured around three empirical chapters (papers) and the findings from those studies are described below. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 4,898), Chapter 2 investigates how the share, correlates, transition patterns, and duration of three-generation households vary by mother's relationship status at birth. Nine percent of married mothers, 17% of cohabiting mothers, and 45% of single mothers live in a three-generation family household at the time of the child's birth. Incidence over time is much higher and most common among single-mother households: Sixty percent live in a three-generation family household at least 1 wave. Economic need, culture, and generational needs are associated with living in a three-generation household; correlates vary by mother's relationship status. Three-generation family households are short lived, and transitions are frequent. Kin support through coresidence is an important source of support for families with young children and in particular families in which the parents are unwed at the time of their child's birth. Chapter 3 investigates to what extent stable and unstable thr…
abstract: The skills acquired in the first few years of life are critical in preparing children for school and for long term development. Families play a primary role in the development of cognitive and social skills as well as physical health. Changes in family structure that have occurred over the last several decades have resulted in fewer children growing up in a two parent married household; however, few children are raised by just one parent. Many children spend time in a three-generation family household, in which a grandparent, parent and child coreside. To date, little research has described the prevalence or correlates of three-generation family households or looked at the association between three-generation family coresidence and child wellbeing during early childhood. To fill this gap in the literature this dissertation was structured around three empirical chapters (papers) and the findings from those studies are described below. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 4,898), Chapter 2 investigates how the share, correlates, transition patterns, and duration of three-generation households vary by mother's relationship status at birth. Nine percent of married mothers, 17% of cohabiting mothers, and 45% of single mothers live in a three-generation family household at the time of the child's birth. Incidence over time is much higher and most common among single-mother households: Sixty percent live in a three-generation family household at least 1 wave. Economic need, culture, and generational needs are associated with living in a three-generation household; correlates vary by mother's relationship status. Three-generation family households are short lived, and transitions are frequent. Kin support through coresidence is an important source of support for families with young children and in particular families in which the parents are unwed at the time of their child's birth. Chapter 3 investigates to what extent stable and unstable thr…
author: Pilkauskas, Natasha Vanessa
language: English
keywords: Sociology, Social service, Families
date published: 2012
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:44:22Z
provider: Columbia University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Columbia University

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.7916/D85B08KZ