It Takes a Household? Co-Residential Family Networks and Child Well-Being

Lindsay M. Monte, U.S. Census Bureau
Jason Fields, U.S. Census Bureau

There is a large body of literature on the negative ramifications of single parenthood on the well-being of children, particularly with regard to financial well-being. However, there is also evidence that extended family and support networks play a significant role in supporting families with children. Using the 2004 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), we examine how a more extensive network of relationships in children’s households may confound results showing linear relationships between parent factors and child outcomes. In this work, we look longitudinally at the network of relationships in children’s homes to evaluate whether the presence of other adults insulates children in single-parent families against the ramifications of not living with two parents.