Berger, Lawrence Marc
Economic Analyses of Child Abuse and Neglect
Ph.D. Dissertation, Columbia University, 2002. DAI-A 63/03, p. 1130, Sep 2002
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: UMI - University Microfilms, Bell and Howell Information and Learning
Keyword(s): Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Benefits; Childhood Residence; Family Structure; Family Studies; Foster Care; Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME); Income; Parents, Single; Poverty; Punishment, Corporal; Social Work; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Welfare;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Despite firmly established relationships between socioeconomic factors and child maltreatment in the U.S., microeconomic approaches to understanding child abuse and neglect have yet to be developed and researchers have only recently begun to study the effects of various economic policies on child maltreatment rates. This dissertation presents three free-standing papers which offer theoretical and empirical models for better understanding the effects of family structure, income, poverty, and public policies on child maltreatment and children's living arrangements. The first paper estimates the existence and strength of relationships between income, family characteristics, state characteristics, and physical violence toward children using data from the 1985 National Family Violence Survey. Results suggest that, in both single-parent and two-parent families, race/ethnicity, depression, maternal alcohol consumption, and history of family violence affect children's probabilities of being physically abused. Additionally, income is significantly related to violence toward children in single-parent families. The second paper uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) to explore the effects of income and poverty, family structure, and public policies on seven indicators of child maltreatment. Results suggest that these factors differentially affect the outcome measures. Income and poverty impact routine medical and dental care, the quality of the caregiving environment, and spanking behaviors. Single-parent families and families with a biological mother and non-biological father figure are found to have lower quality caregiving environments than mother-father families. This analysis also provides some tentative evidence that higher welfare benefit levels and lower unemployment rates serve as protective factors for children. The third paper uses data from the NLSY to estimate the effects of income and poverty, family structure, and income support polici es on the probabilities that children are living in various out-of-home settings. Results suggest that lower-income, single-parent, and mother-partner families are more likely to have children living out-of-home in a given year. Higher AFDC/TANF benefits are associated with decreases in the probability that a family has a child living in a child welfare service setting, but increases in the probability that a family has a child living with relatives. Higher foster care payments are associated with increases in out-of-home placements.

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Children Living Out of Home: Effects of Family and Environmental Characteristics
Presented: Dallas, TX, 24th Annual APPAM Research Conference, November 2002
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM)
Keyword(s): Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Childhood Residence; Economic Well-Being; Family Income; Family Structure; Fertility; Modeling, Probit; Parents, Single; Poverty; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Welfare;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

A large and growing number of children in the U.S. spend some part of their childhood living in households or institutions that do not include their birth parents. These living arrangements may result from parental choice (i.e., voluntary placement of children outside of the home) or from involuntary child removal via government intervention due to parental maltreatment (i.e., abuse or neglect), and may be associated with a wide variety of issues, including: family crises, physical and mental health problems, substance abuse problems, criminal justice involvement, and child abuse and neglect. It is also possible that some children live apart from their birth parents because their parents do not have the resources to care for them at home. Current evidence suggests that the same types of families who are most likely to be involved in the welfare system - poor, single-parent, unemployed, and minority families - are also most likely to have children living out-of-home. Additionally, there is some evidence that welfare benefit levels affect the likelihood that children remain living with their parents. Yet, little economic research has addressed the ways in which family structures and economic resources have impacted whether children grow up in households that do not include at least one biological parent. In order to address this gap, this paper offers a theoretical framework for estimating the effects of income and poverty, family structure, and income support policies on the probabilities that children are living in out-of-home settings. This framework is grounded in economic theory of parental investments in children and intra-family distribution of resources. Its empirical implications are tested using data from the NLSY. The sample consists of 28,143 observations of families with children 18 years old or younger between 1986 and 1998. Probit models are used to estimate the probability that children from both single- and two-parent families are living in child welfare service settings, with relatives, and in any out-of-home care arrangement. Results suggest that lower-income families, as well as single-parent and mother-partner families, are more likely to have a child living out-of-home in a given year. Higher AFDC/TANF benefits are associated with decreases in the probability that a family has a child living in a child welfare service setting, but increases in the probability that a family has a child living with relatives. Additionally, higher foster care payments are associated with increases in children living out-of-home. Public policy implications are discussed.

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Children Living Out-of-Home: Effects of Family and Environmental Characteristics
Presented: Washington, DC, Society for Social Work and Research Meetings, January 2003
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR)
Keyword(s): Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Childhood Residence; Children, Poverty; Family Resources; Family Structure; Modeling, Probit; Poverty; Welfare;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

A large and growing number of children in the U.S. spend some part of their childhood living in households or institutions that do not include their birth parents. These living arrangements may result from parental choice or from involuntary child removal due to parental maltreatment. Some children may live apart from their birth parents because their parents do not have the resources to care for them at home. Current evidence suggests that the same types of families who are likely to be involved in the welfare system are also likely to have children living out-of-home. Additionally, there is some evidence that welfare benefit levels affect children's living arrangements.

Yet, little research has addressed the ways in which family structures and economic resources have impacted whether children grow up in households that do not include at least one biological parent. In order to address this gap, this paper offers a theoretical framework for estimating the effects of income and poverty, family structure, and income support policies on children's living arrangements. Its empirical implications are tested using data from the NLSY. The sample consists of 28,143 observations of families with children 18 years old or younger between 1986 and 1998. Probit models are used to estimate the probability that children from both single- and two-parent families are living in various out-of-home care arrangements. Results suggest that lower-income families, as well as single-parent and mother-partner families, are more likely to have a child living out-of-home in a given year. Higher AFDC/TANF benefits are associated with decreases in the probability that a family has a child living in a child welfare service setting, but increases in the probability that a family has a child living with relatives. Additionally, higher foster care payments are associated with increases in children living out-of-home.

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Children Living Out-Of-Home: Effects of Family and Environmental Characteristics
Children and Youth Services Review 28,2 (February 2006): 158-179.
Also: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740905000824
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Childhood Residence; Family Structure; Foster Care; Household Composition; Income; Parents, Single; Pre/post Natal Behavior; Residence; Welfare;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This paper uses data from the NLSY to estimate the effects of income, family structure, and public policies on the probability that a mother has children living in various out-of-home settings. Results suggest that lower-income mothers and those living in single-parent and mother–partner families are more likely to have children living out-of-home in a given year than are mothers in higher-income and mother–father families. Higher welfare benefits are associated with decreased probabilities that children are living in service settings, but increased probabilities that they are living with relatives. Higher foster care payments are associated with increased service setting placements. NOTE: This analysis uses the Geocode data.

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Family Resources, Family Structure, Public Policies, and Child Maltreatment Risk: A Longitudinal Analysis
Presented: Boston, MA, Population Association of America Meetings, April 2004
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Child Health; Children, Health Care; Children, Home Environment; Family Resources; Family Structure; Income; Modeling, Fixed Effects; Poverty; Welfare;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

There is limited research on the mechanisms through which poverty and child maltreatment are connected. This paper uses data from the NLSY to estimate the effects of family resources, family structures, and public policies on child maltreatment risk. These relationships are also explored over time using child fixed-effects models. "Maltreatment risk" is operationalized in terms of the adequacy of the child's physical environment, emotional and cognitive support, parental spanking behaviors, and medical care. Preliminary results suggest that income and poverty impact routine medical and dental care, the quality of the caregiving environment, and spanking behaviors. In addition, single-parent families and families with a biological mother and non-biological father figure tend have lower quality caregiving environments than mother-father families, and changes in family structure tend to put children at greater risk of maltreatment. Finally, this analysis provides some evidence that more generous welfare policies may serve as protective factors for children.

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Income, Family Structure, and Child Maltreatment Risk
Children and Youth Services Review 26,8 (August 2004): 725-799.
Also: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740904000465
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Child Health; Children, Health Care; Children, Well-Being; Family Structure; Home Environment; Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME); Income; Parents, Single; Punishment, Corporal; Unemployment; Welfare;

This paper uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to explore the effects of income, family structure, and public policies on several indicators of child maltreatment. Results suggest that income and family structure affect a family's overall risk of child maltreatment, and that these factors differentially affect various outcome measures. In particular, income impacts routine medical and dental care, the quality of the caregiving environment, and to a lesser extent, spanking behaviors. Single-parent families and families with a biological mother and non-biological father figure tend to have lower quality caregiving environments than mother-father families, and single-mother families with working mothers are at even greater risk of poor caregiving. Finally, this analysis provides some tentative evidence that higher welfare benefits and lower unemployment rates may serve as protective factors for children. [Copyright 2004 Elsevier]

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Socioeconomic Factors and Substandard Parenting
Social Service Review 81,3 (September 2007): 485-522.
Also: http://www.jstor.org/pss/10.1086/520963
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Keyword(s): Income; Modeling, Fixed Effects; Parenthood; Parents, Single; Work Hours;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This article uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to estimate the independent and interactive effects of income, family structure, and maternal work on measures of substandard parenting. Results from child fixed-effects analyses suggest that children in mother-partner families are more likely to be exposed to substandard parenting than children in mother-father families. However, income plays a particularly strong protective role in regard to substandard parenting in mother-partner families, such that parenting improves as income rises. Increases in maternal work hours are associated with increases in substandard parenting for children in single-mother families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Berger, Lawrence Marc
Cancian, Maria
Maternal Re-Partnering and Non-Resident Father Investments in Children
Presented: Washington, DC, Population Association of America Annual Meetings, March 31-April 2, 2011
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Child Support; Cohabitation; Fathers, Absence; Fertility, Multiple Partners; Parental Investments;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

A considerable body of research suggests that paternal re-partnering is associated with decreased non-resident father investments in children. Fewer studies, however, have examined the influence of maternal re-partnering on non-resident father investments. We use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to examine associations of maternal re-partnering (cohabitation or marriage formation with a new partner) with non-resident father visitation and child support payment, paying particular attention to the role of residential moves that may accompany new partnerships. Preliminary results from standard regression models with extensive controls, as well as random effects and fixed effects regressions, reveal consistent evidence that maternal re-partnering is associated with decreased father involvement and increased geographic distance between mothers' and fathers' households. We find less consistent evidence of links between maternal re-partnering and formal child support payments. Finally, new partner births are consistently associated with decreased child support payments, but less consistently with father-child contact.

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Cancian, Maria
Meyer, Daniel R.
Maternal Re-Partnering and New-Partner Fertility: Associations with Nonresident Father Investments in Children
Children and Youth Services Review 34,2 (February 2012): 426-436.
Also: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740911004245
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Child Support; Childhood Residence; Fathers and Children; Fathers, Absence; Fathers, Presence; Marital Stability; Parental Investments; Parental Marital Status; Parents, Non-Custodial; Remarriage;

Research suggests that paternal re-partnering and new-partner fertility are associated with decreased nonresident father investments in children. Few studies, however, have examined the influence of maternal re-partnering and new-partner births on nonresident father investments. We use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to examine associations of maternal re-partnering (through cohabitation or marriage with a new partner) and new-partner births with nonresident father visitation and child support payments. Results suggest that maternal re-partnering is associated with a decrease in both yearly father-child contact and child support received by the mother. New-partner fertility for mothers who are co-residing with a partner is associated with an additional decrease in monthly father-child contact, but does not have an additional influence on yearly father-child contact or child support receipt.

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Hill, Jennifer L.
Waldfogel, Jane
Family Leave and Child Outcomes: Evidence from the NLSY
Presented: Atlanta, GA, Population Association of America Annual Meetings, May 2002
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Breastfeeding; Child Health; Leave, Family or Maternity/Paternity; Maternal Employment; Pre/post Natal Health Care;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

While family leave policies have been advocated on the grounds that they allow new mothers to take longer maternity leaves, thus promoting better child outcomes, the empirical evidence on the connection between leave policies, leave-taking, and child outcomes is scarce. In this paper, we utilize data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) to estimate both the effect of family leave coverage on leave-taking, and the effect of leave-taking on child outcomes. Our data include detailed measures of family leave coverage, usage, and length of leave, child health and development, and parental behaviors. By shedding light on the pathway from family leave policies to child outcomes, the results prove relevant not only to the literature on the effects of early experiences on child outcomes, but also to the current policy debate about allowing more workers to take leaves and for longer periods of time.

Berger, Hill and Waldfogel (2002) find that family leave coverage is associated with more breast-feeding and that children whose mothers did not have family leave coverage scored lower on tests of their cognitive ability at ages 3 and 4. They also document that women who return to work between 0 and 6 weeks following the birth of a child are less likely to breast-feed, to have taken their child to a well baby visit and to have had their child immunized.

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Hill, Jennifer L.
Waldfogel, Jane
Maternity Leave, Early Maternal Employment and Child Health and Development in the US
Economic Journal 115,501 (February 2005): F29-F47.
Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0013-0133.2005.00971.x/abstract
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Royal Economic Society (RES)
Keyword(s): Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Behavioral Problems; Breastfeeding; Child Development; Child Health; Leave, Family or Maternity/Paternity; Maternal Employment; Re-employment;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This paper uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to explore links between mothers' returns to work within 12 weeks of giving birth and health and developmental outcomes for their children. OLS models and propensity score matching methods are utilised to account for selection bias. Considerable associations between early returns to work and children's outcomes are found suggesting causal relationships between early returns to work and reductions in breastfeeding and immunisations, as well as increases in externalising behaviour problems. These results are generally stronger for mothers who return to work full-time within 12 weeks of giving birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Hill, Jennifer L.
Waldfogel, Jane
Parental Leave Policies, Early Maternal Employment, and Child Outcomes in the U.S.
Presented: Boston, MA, Population Association of America Meetings, April 2004
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Breastfeeding; Child Health; Leave, Family or Maternity/Paternity; Maternal Employment; Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT);

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This paper explores links between parental leave policies, the length of time mothers remain at home after giving birth, and cognitive, behavioural, and health related outcomes for children. We use state leave laws and unionization rates as instruments to estimate the effect of (instrumented) early maternal employment on a series of child outcomes in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Health related outcomes include whether the child received preventive "well-baby" care and the frequency of that "well-baby" care in the first year of life, whether the child was breast-fed and the duration of breast-feeding in the first year of life, and whether the child was fully immunized by age 18 months. We also examine the effects of (instrumented) early maternal employment on child cognitive and behavioural outcomes assessed at age 3 or 4. Preliminary results suggest that the shortfall in parental leave coverage in the U.S. may affect child well-being.

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Langton, Callie
Maternal Re-Partnering and Non-Resident Father Investments in Children
Presented: San Francisco, CA, Society for Social Work and Research 14 Annual Conference, January 2010.
Also: http://sswr.confex.com/sswr/2010/webprogram/Paper12947.html
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR)
Keyword(s): Cohabitation; Family Structure; Fathers; Fathers, Absence; Fathers, Influence; Fathers, Involvement; Fathers, Leaving; Household Composition; Marital Disruption; Marriage; Modeling, Fixed Effects; Parents, Single; Remarriage;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Background and Purpose: Research suggests that paternal re-partnering through marriage or cohabitation is associated with reductions in both the amount of time fathers spend with their non-resident children and the economic support they provide. Whereas the literature on paternal re-partnering and non-resident father investments in children is relatively well developed, few studies have examined the influence of maternal re-partnering on non-resident father investments. This paper examines associations of maternal re-partnering, in the form of new marriages and cohabitations, with changes in non-resident father investments in children vis-à-vis both visitation and formal child support payments.

Methods: We utilize longitudinal data drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth on approximately 5,500 children who spent some part of their childhood living with a single mother. We focus on 5 measures of father investment: (1) whether the father has seen the child during the past year; (2) how often the father has seen the child during the past year; (3) whether the father pays any (formal) child support; and (4) the amount of child support the father pays. We also investigate whether maternal re-partnering is associated with changes in the geographic distance between fathers' homes and those of their children. Our analytic approach consists of both standard regressions and fixed effects models. The standard regressions (ordinary least squares and logit models) assess whether there are static differences in levels of non-resident father investments in children by whether children's mothers have remarried or formed new cohabiting unions, as opposed to having remained single. The fixed effects models assess the extent to which fathers' investment behaviors change when mothers enter into new partnerships and have the advantage of adjusting for unobserved time invariant child and family characteristics when estimating these associations.

Results: Preliminary results suggest that, on average, children whose mothers have re-partnered spend less time with their biological father and are less likely to see their biological father over the course of a year than are children living with a single-mother who has not re-partnered. Fixed effects results also reveal that both the likelihood that a non-resident father has seen his child in the past year and the number of times the father has seen the child decrease after a mother re-partners. In addition, we find that the geographic distance between fathers' homes and those of their children increases when mothers re-partner and that this is only partially explained by residential moves on the part of the mother; non-resident fathers are also more likely to move away from their children after a maternal re-partnership. Yet, we find little evidence of associations between maternal re-partnering and child support payments.

Conclusions: Given that a sizeable proportion of children will experience maternal re-partnering, coupled with evidence that non-resident father involvement may positively influence children's wellbeing, it is crucial to understand how maternal re-partnering affects non-resident fathers' investments in children. Implications of this research for public policies regarding marriage and family formation, as well as for designing programs to promote child wellbeing in complex families, are discussed.

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Magnuson, Katherine A.
Family Structure Transitions and Children's Wellbeing During Middle Childhood
Presented: Washington, DC, Meetings of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR): Research That Matters, January 17-20, 2008
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR)
Keyword(s): Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Children, Well-Being; Family Structure; Household Composition; Marital Dissolution; Marriage; Modeling; Parents, Single; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Work Hours;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Purpose: About half of all children under 18 will spend time in a single-parent family and approximately one third will spend time in a step-family. Adverse associations between these family structures and child wellbeing are well documented. However, pathways to non-traditional family structures are diverse and include both births into non-traditional families and transitions into (or between) these family types. Most prior research has focused on associations between family structure states and children's development and wellbeing. Yet, it is likely that family structure transitions, in and of themselves, may account for some portion of these associations given that such transitions may be disruptive and destabilizing, thereby necessitating considerable reorganization of family roles and creating multiple stresses. Children's responses to these stresses may, at least in part, depend upon the developmental stage at which they occur, as well as the quality of caregiving to which children have previously been exposed. A considerable number of studies have explored these associations for older children and adolescents; few have examined these relations for younger children. Furthermore, existing research provides little insight as to whether the quality of early caregiving experiences may moderate these associations in middle childhood.

Methods: We use longitudinal data on about 3,700 children age 5 to 12 from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) and Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) to examine associations of family structure states and transitions with children's achievement (PIAT math and reading tests) and behavior (Behavior Problems Index) trajectories. We consider whether these associations vary by children's ages, as well as the quality of their home environments in early childhood. We also assess whether they are transitory or persist over time. An important methodological concern is that families that transition may be different from those who do not in multiple ways, and that these differences may, in part, explain differences children's achievement and behavior. Consequently, it is important to use analytic approaches which reduce the likelihood of selection bias. Because the HLM identifies the effects of family structure transitions on changes in achievement and behavior, this method reduces bias from unobserved persistent child and family characteristics.

Results: Results suggest that both residing in and transitioning to a single-mother family during middle childhood is associated with small increases in behavior problems. These associations are stronger for children who experienced higher quality home environments in early childhood. Transitions into as well as stable residence in step families are less consistently associated with child behavior, although we find some evidence that residence in a step family may be associated with small short-term increases in behavior problems. We find little consistent evidence linking any types of family structure transitions or states to children's achievement during middle childhood.

Implications: As a sizeable proportion of children experience family structure transitions, it is crucial to understand how these changes affect their achievement and behavior. Implications of this research for public policies regarding marriage and family formation, as well as for designing programs to promote child wellbeing in complex families, are discussed.

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Waldfogel, Jane
Determinants of Out-of-Home Living Arrangements for Children: To What Extent Do Family Resources, Family Structures, and Public Policies Make a Difference?
Presented: Minneapolis, MN, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, May 2003
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Family Structure; Foster Care; Parents, Single; Residence; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Welfare;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

A large and growing number of children in the U.S. spend some part of their childhood in living arrangements that do not include their birth parents. This paper uses data from the NLSY to estimate the effects of income and poverty, family structure, and income support policies on the probabilities that children are living in various out-of-home settings. Results suggest that lower-income, single-parent, and mother-partner families are more likely to have children living out-of-home in a given year. Higher AFDC/TANF benefits are associated with decreases in the probability that a family has a child living in a child welfare service setting, but increases in the probability that a family has a child living with relatives. Higher foster care payments are associated with increases in out-of-home placements. This research holds implications for predicting the ways in which changes in policies that affect family resources and structures may influence childrens living arrangements.

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Waldfogel, Jane
Maternity Leave and the Employment of New Mothers in the United States
Journal of Population Economics 17,2 (June 2004): 331-350.
Also: http://www.springerlink.com/content/0qu7lhrhngplmlpy/
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Springer
Keyword(s): Childbearing; Employment; Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); Leave, Family or Maternity/Paternity; Maternal Employment; Modeling, Hazard;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

We use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to examine the relationships between maternity leave coverage and U.S. women's post-birth leave taking and employment decisions from 1988 to 1996. We find that women who were employed before birth are working much more quickly post-birth than women who were not. We also find that, among mothers who were employed pre-birth, those in jobs that provided leave coverage are more likely to take a leave of up to 12 weeks, but return more quickly after 12 weeks. Our results suggest that maternity leave coverage is related to leave taking, as well as the length of time that a new mother stays home after a birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berger, Lawrence Marc
Waldfogel, Jane
Out-of-Home Placement of Children and Economic Factors: An Empirical Analysis
Review of Economics of the Household 2,4 (December 2004): 387-411.
Also: http://www.springerlink.com/content/r0267143242p8411/
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Springer
Keyword(s): Childhood Residence; Cohabitation; Event History; Family Structure; Foster Care; Household Composition; Maternal Employment; Parents, Single; Residence; Welfare;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

In this paper, we use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) to estimate the effects of income, maternal employment, family structure, and public policies on several measures of children's living arrangements. We use both linear probability models and discrete-time event history models to explore the effects of these factors on: (1) the probability that a child is living out-of-home in a given year; (2) the probability that a child is removed from home in a given year, conditional on the child living at home in the previous year; (3) the probability that a child is removed from home for the first time; (4) the probability that a child is reunified with his/her biological parent(s) given that the child was living out-of-home in the previous year. We also analyze whether these estimates differ by types of out-of-home placements. Our results suggest that children from lower-income, single-mother, and mother-partner families are considerably more likely both to be living out-of-home and to be removed from home. A change in family structure also tends to place a child at higher risk of an out-of-home living arrangement, unless this transition functions to bring a child's father back into the household. Maternal work appears to increase the probability that a child lives at home. Additionally, once a removal has taken place, we do not find a relationship between income and the probability of a family reunification, but we do find that single-mother and mother-partner families are less likely to reunify. Finally, our analyses provide some evidence that welfare benefit levels are negatively related to out-of-home placements. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
...We use data from the Geographic Micro-Data and Child and Young Adult files of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). We begin with all children who were observed at any point from 1984 through 2000.

Magnuson, Katherine A.
Berger, Lawrence Marc
Associations of Family Structure States and Transitions During Middle Childhood
Working Paper No. 07-15, National Poverty Center Working Paper Series, June 2007
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: National Poverty Center
Keyword(s): Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Children, Well-Being; Family Structure; Household Composition; Marital Dissolution; Marriage; Modeling; Parents, Single; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Work Hours;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Using longitudinal data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and Hierarchical Linear Models (i.e., multilevel models), we estimate associations of family structure states and transitions with children's achievement and behavior trajectories during middle childhood. We consider whether these associations vary by children's ages, as well as the quality of their home environments in early childhood. Results suggest that both residing in and transitioning to a single-mother family during middle childhood is associated with small increases in behavior problems. These associations are stronger for children who experienced higher quality home environments in early childhood. Results for transitions to and residence in step families are less consistent, although we find some evidence that residence in a step family may be associated with small short-term increases in behavior problems. We find little consistent evidence linking any types of family structure states or transitions to children's achievement during middle childhood.

Magnuson, Katherine A.
Berger, Lawrence Marc
Family Structure States and Transitions: Associations with Children's Well-Being During Middle Childhood.
Journal of Marriage and Family 71,3 (August 2009): 575-591.
Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00620.x/pdf
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing, Inc. => Wiley Online
Keyword(s): Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Children, Academic Development; Children, Behavioral Development; Family Structure; Modeling; Parents, Single; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading);

Using longitudinal data from the Maternal and Child Supplement of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth ( N = 3,862) and Hierarchical Linear Models, we estimated associations of family structure states and transitions with children's achievement and behavior trajectories during middle childhood. Results suggest that residing in a single-mother family was associated with small increases in behavior problems and decreases in achievement and that residing in a social-father family was associated with small increases in behavior problems. Family structure transitions, in general, were associated with increases in behavior problems and marginally associated with decreases in achievement. Transitioning to a single-mother family was associated with increases in behavior problems, whereas transitioning to a social-father family was associated with decreases in reading achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnuson, Katherine A.
Berger, Lawrence Marc
Transitions in Family Structure and Children's Wellbeing
Presented: New York, NY, Population Association of America Annual Meetings, March 29-31, 2007.
Also: http://paa2007.princeton.edu/abstractViewer.aspx?submissionId=71620
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Children, Well-Being; Family Structure; Household Composition; Marital Dissolution; Marriage; Modeling; Parents, Single; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Stepfamilies; Work Hours;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

A considerable body of research explores associations between marital dissolution, single-parent family structure, and child wellbeing. Although about 30 percent of children will spend some time in stepfamilies, the effects of maternal re-partnering on children's wellbeing have received much less scrutiny. We use longitudinal data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and Hierarchical Linear Models (multilevel models) to estimate the effects of family structure transitions, with a specific focus on maternal re-partnering, on children's achievement and behavior trajectories. We consider whether these effects vary by children's ages and assess whether they are transitory or persist over time. Moreover, we focus on whether there are differences in these effects when maternal 're-partnerings' constitute cohabitations or marriages, as well as whether they differ by maternal education level. This research has implications for policies and programs regarding marriage and family formation and those that promote child wellbeing for children in complex families.