HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS Psychiatric Bulletin Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in BJP Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by O'CONNOR, T. G. Articles by RASBASH, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by O'CONNOR, T. G. Articles by RASBASH, J.

Family settings and children's adjustment: differential adjustment within and across families

Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK

JENNIFER M. JENKINS, PhD

University of Toronto, Canada

KEVIN PICKERING, PhD

Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK

JON RASBASH, PhD

Institute of Education, London, UK

Correspondence: Dr Thomas G. O'Connor, Departments of Psychology and Child/Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, III Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK. E-mail: spjwtoc{at}iop.kcl.ac.uk

Declaration of interest This study was funded by the Medical Research Council.

See editorial, pp. 93–94, this issue.

Background Children in stepfamilies and single-parent families exhibit elevated levels of behavioural and emotional problems compared with children in intact (biological) families, but there is variation within and across these family types.

Aims To examine the sources of variation in children's behavioural and emotional problems across diverse family settings.

Method Levels of behavioural and emotional problems in children from diverse stepfamilies and single-parent families were compared with children living with both biological parents. Psychosocial risks were measured at the individual child and family levels.

Results Behavioural and emotional problems were elevated in children in stepmother/complex stepfamilies and single-parent families, but not in simple stepfather families, relative to ‘biological’ families. Psychopathology associated with family type was explained by compromised quality of the parent—child relationship, parental depression and socio-economic adversity. Sibling similarity in behavioural and emotional problems was most pronounced in high-risk family settings.

Conclusions Family type is a proxy for exposure to psychosocial risks; the extent of family-wide influence on children's development may be strongest in high-stress settings.

Related articles in BJP:

Highlights of this issue

ELIZABETH WALSH
BJP 2001 179: 0. [Full Text]  

Causal processes in development and psychopathology

RICHARD HARRINGTON
BJP 2001 179: 93-94. [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. M. Fergusson, J. M. Boden, and L. J. Horwood Exposure to Single Parenthood in Childhood and Later Mental Health, Educational, Economic, and Criminal Behavior Outcomes Arch Gen Psychiatry, September 1, 2007; 64(9): 1089 - 1095. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. P.S. Guerrero, E. S. Hishinuma, N. N. Andrade, S. T. Nishimura, and V. L. Cunanan Correlations among Socioeconomic and Family Factors and Academic, Behavioral, and Emotional Difficulties in Filipino Adolescents in Hawai'i International Journal of Social Psychiatry, July 1, 2006; 52(4): 343 - 359. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. HARRINGTON Causal processes in development and psychopathology The British Journal of Psychiatry, August 1, 2001; 179(2): 93 - 94. [Full Text] [PDF]