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Does material disadvantage explain the increased risk of adverse health, educational, and behavioural outcomes among children in lone parent households in Britain? : a cross sectional study

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Spencer, Nick. (2005) Does material disadvantage explain the increased risk of adverse health, educational, and behavioural outcomes among children in lone parent households in Britain? : a cross sectional study. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, Vol.59 (No.2). pp. 152-157. ISSN 0143-005X

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech.2004.020248

Abstract

Objective: To test the hypothesis that material disadvantage explains the increased risk among children and young people of adverse health, educational, and behavioural problems associated with living in lone parent households in Britain

Study design: Secondary analysis of a cross sectional survey of a representative sample of British households with children and youth

Main outcomes: Parent reported fair/poor health, longstanding illness and disability, statement of special educational needs, suspension and/or expulsion from school, and in trouble with the police.

Participants: Data were available on 15 636 (8049 boys and 7587 girls) aged 0-18 years in 8541 households in the third sweep (2001) of the British government's families and children study

Results: Lone parenthood was associated with increased risk of health and educational problems, and antisocial behaviour among boys and girls in a logistic regression model adjusting for child's age alone. Adding age of main carer, number of dependent children, and child's rank in the household made little difference to the associations. Addition of housing tenure, household hardship index, and an interaction term for lone parenthood and hardship eliminated the relation with lone parenthood for all outcomes except parent reported health among girls. Similar results were obtained for households headed by lone parents for at least a year. An interaction effect of lone parenthood with hardship for parent reported health and statement of special educational needs was noted.

Conclusion: Adverse effects of lone parenthood on health, education, and antisocial behaviour were apparently explained by material disadvantage in this cross sectional sample of British households with children and youth.

Item Type:

Journal Article

Subjects:

H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine

Divisions:

Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Health and Social Studies

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Children of single parents -- Great Britain, Low-income parents -- Great Britain, Children -- Health and hygiene -- Great Britain, Behavior disorders in children -- Great Britain

Journal or Publication Title:

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

Publisher:

BMJ Group

ISSN:

0143-005X

Official Date:

February 2005

Dates:

Date	Event
February 2005	Published

Volume:

Vol.59

Number:

No.2

Number of Pages:

Page Range:

pp. 152-157

Identification Number:

10.1136/jech.2004.020248

Status:

Peer Reviewed

Publication Status:

Published

Access rights to Published version:

Restricted or Subscription Access

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