New Approaches to the Measurement of Children's Family Structure Grantees

External Grantees Conference
April 13-14, 2011
Conference Agenda

The NCFMR funded the following four proposals supporting research on approaches to measuring children's family structure. The grantees presented their research findings at the NCFMR in the spring of 2011 and will continue to submit working papers for inclusion in our Working Paper Series. 

Melissa Barnett key research findings

  • In this community sample of 83 mothers of Mexican descent there was considerable variability in the size, composition and functions of maternal social support networks that spanned from within the same household to across the United States-Mexico border. Mothers regularly listed family members, especially their own parents, as focal source of social support.

  • Parenting support, that is assistance with tasks specifically related to child care, was differentially linked to maternal well-being among native born and Mexican born mothers. Specifically, in this cross-sectional study, American born mothers’ reports of perceived parenting support were positively linked to parenting stress and depressive symptoms. However, higher levels of parenting support were linked to fewer depressive symptoms for Mexican born mothers.

  • Controlling for nativity and other forms of perceived support, higher perceived emotional support was associated with fewer self-reported depressive symptoms for socioeconomically disadvantaged mothers.

Melissa Barnett, PI, Family Studies and Human Development, University of Arizona

  • WP-12-07
    • Social support as a resource for Mexican-American mothers of toddlers
      • Paper presented (PDF unavailable)
    • Contextual instability and the parenting of Mexican-American mothers with toddlers
      • Paper presented (PDF unavailable)

 

Children's Family Structures and Transitions: Examining Stability through Change

  • Ronald E. Bulanda, PI, Department of Sociology & Gerontology, Miami University

 

A New Methodological Approach to Measuring Family Structure and Child-Specific Residential Relationships Using the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth

  • Daphne Hernandez, PI, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
  • Cassandra Dorius, Co-I, Department of Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University
  • Katherine Stamps Mitchell, Co-I, School of Human Ecology, Louisiana State University

 

Transformation or Continuity in Americans' Definitions of Family

Brian Powell key research findings
  • We have seen a dramatic movement in American’s definitions of family across all three years, with over two-thirds of Americans now including some types of same-sex couples in their definition of family.

  • We have seen  a notable increase in endorsement of same-sex marriage, especially between 2006 and 2010—a pattern that also is confirmed in other national surveys.

  • We document the power of legal status in definitions of family, with legally married same-sex couples receiving greater recognition of family status and deserving of the rights of family than same-sex couples who are not legally married.
  • Brian Powell, PI, Department of Sociology, Indiana University
    • WP-12-12
      • Research presented at the following...
        • Changing Counts, Counting Change: Toward a More Inclusive Definition of Family. American Sociological Association, Denver, CO. (2012).
        • How Americans Think and Feel about Families. Work and Family Network, New York, NY. (2012).
        • Counted Out: Same-Sex Relations and Americans’ Definitions of Family. 
          • Williams Institute, University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. (2012).
          • University of Connecticut. (2012).
          • Broom Center for Demography, University of California, Santa Barbara. (2012).
          • Northwestern University. (2011).
          • North Central Sociological Association, Cleveland, OH. (2011).
          • University of Pennsylvania. (2010).
        • ‘Family' Divided: Conflicting Visions of ‘the American Family.’ American Sociological Association, Las Vegas, NV.(2011).
        • Race, Gender, and Marital Opportunities: Remarks Regarding ‘Is Marriage for White People.’ (panelist). Indiana University Maurer Law School. (2012).
        • Change or Continuity in Americans’ Definition of Family. National Center for Family & Marriage Research Conference, New Approaches to the Measurement of Children’s Family Structure, Bowling Green University, Bowling Green, OH. (2011).
        • When Minorities Become Majorities and Majorities Become Minorities. Council on Contemporary Families, Chicago, IL. (2011).
        • Same-Sex Marriage and the Future of DOMA: Law, Politics, Federalism, and Families. (panelist). Indiana University Maurer Law School. (2011).

External Grantees

Updated: 11/19/2020 02:42PM