The health of children in sole-parent families in New Zealand: results of a population-based cross-sectional survey.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether children in sole-parent families in New Zealand bear excess risks of poor mental and physical health relative to children in two parent families. DATA SOURCES AND STATISTICAL METHODS: The data source was the 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey, a nationally representative household survey that sampled 502 children (5-14 years) of sole mothers and 1,281 children of partnered mothers.


RESULTS
Children of sole mothers were 1.26 (0.94 - 2.69) times as likely as children of partnered mothers to return a low PhS score. Adjusting for maternal health and family socio-economic disadvantage eliminated this weak association (which in any case was of borderline statistical significance). Children of sole mothers were more than twice as likely as children of partnered mothers to return a low PsS score, adjusting for demographic variables only.


CONCLUSIONS
There is only a weak negative association (if any) between sole-parenting and child physical health, but a stronger association with child mental health - consistent with most of the New Zealand and international literature. The association with child mental health is largely (but possibly not completely) 'explained' by the poorer mental health of sole-parents and the poorer socio-economic circumstances of single-parent families (on average).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings support policies aiming to improve access of sole-parents and their children to community mental health services, and (more especially) policies aiming to ameliorate the disadvantaged economic circumstances of single parent families.
Tobias
Martin
M
Health & Disability Intelligence, Ministry of Health, PO Box 5013 Wellington, New Zealand. martin_tobias@moh.govt.nz
Kokaua
Jesse
J
Gerritsen
Sarah
S
Templeton
Robert
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009520:New Zealand; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012306:Risk; D020954:Single-Parent Family / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012946:Social Welfare; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors