I am also collaborating with Marcy Carlson (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and Paula Fomby (University of Michigan) on multiple papers that explore the outcomes of “complex” family structures for American children and parents over historical time and the life course using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics.

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Fomby, Paula, Ariane Ophir, and Marcia J. Carlson (2020). “Family Complexity and Children’s Behavioral Problems over Two US Cohorts.” Journal of Marriage and Family

 

In this paper, we examine how family complexity, defined as parental dissolution or repartnering and changes in sibling composition in the household, relates to children’s behavior problems. Comparing two birth cohorts of children, we find that the prevalence of family complexity has stabilized over the last two decades, but that the factors associated with behavior problems remained the same over time. Moreover, using a difference-in-difference approach, we show that added complexity in children’s lives was not related to an increase in behavior problems. Rather, we find that the higher levels of behavior problems among children from complex families existed before experiencing changes in family composition. This paper contributes to our understanding of the causal role of family change in shaping children’s behavior problems.

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Ophir, Ariane, Paula Fomby, and Marcia J. Carlson. "Unequal Childhoods, Equal Relationships? The Role of Parent-figures in the Transition to Adulthood"

** In progress, presented as a poster at PAA2021

 

Young adults who transition to adulthood from a socially disadvantaged position are also more likely to navigate complex family relationships. Although the parent-child relationship has been at the center of family complexity research, we know little about other parental figures in young adults' lives, their relationship quality, and its implications for young adults' well-being. Relationships that young adults have with parental figures is particularly important in the context of diverse pathways to adulthood. These relationships may have positive consequences for young adults’ wellbeing that could mitigate the direct effects of family instability in childhood. Using the Transition to Adulthood Supplement (TAS) form the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (n=2,362), we aim to contribute to our understanding of the types and quality of parental relationships that young adults from different family complexity backgrounds have and how they mediate the consequences of family instability on outcomes such as independence and well-being.

 

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​Carlson, J. Marcia, Paula Fomby, and Ariane Ophir. “The Demography of U.S. Parenthood: Changing Fatherhood, Persistent Motherhood”

** In progress, presented at PAA2019

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In this paper, we describe the changing nature of American parenthood. We show how the prevalence and experience of both motherhood and fatherhood have changed over forty years in the U.S. We find that men’s experiences with biological and social parenting have significantly changed over time and across birth cohorts more than women’s experiences with parenting roles, which remained predominantly biological.

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