title: Family structure and children's physical and mental health.
abstract: Using the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health, this paper examines the physical and mental health of children by family structure. Children in step, single-mother, or grandparent-only families had poorer health than children living with two biological parents. Adjusting for demographic differences reduced observed disparities, although children living in single-mother or grandparent-only families still had poorer health than children living with two biological parents. Adjusted estimates showed that children in single-father families generally did as well as (for mental health) or better than (for physical health) children living with two biological parents.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, Maryland, USA. mbramlett@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Bramlett
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Blumberg
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012307:Risk Factors; D015406:Single Parent; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States