Options
Analyzing the Impact of Family Structure Changes on Children’s Stress Levels Using a Stress Biomarker
Kleinschlömer, Pauline; Kühn, Mine; Bister, Lara; u. a. (2025): Analyzing the Impact of Family Structure Changes on Children’s Stress Levels Using a Stress Biomarker, in: Bamberg: Otto-Friedrich-Universität, S. 621–633.
Author:
Publisher Information:
Year of publication:
2025
Pages:
Source/Other editions:
Journal of Health and Social Behavior, London: Sage, 2024, vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 621–633, ISSN: 2150-6000
Year of first publication:
2024
Language:
English
Abstract:
Changes in family structure (e.g., parental separation or stepfamily formation) are associated with a deterioration in children’s well-being. Most researchers have focused on the impact of such changes on children’s educational and psychosocial outcomes, whereas the effects on children’s biological processes have been studied less often. We analyze the effects of changes in family structure on children’s stress levels using data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents study (2003–2006 and 2014–2017). Our outcome variable is the biomarker c-reactive protein (CRP), which correlates with psychological distress and is collected from blood samples. Calculating first-difference estimators, we analyze whether children have higher CRP levels after changing to (1) single-parent families (n = 117) or (2) stepfamilies (n = 80). Our findings suggest that changing to a single-parent family significantly increases children’s stress, whereas changing to a stepfamily does not. These observations are important because increased stress in childhood can negatively affect well-being later in life.
GND Keywords: ; ; ; ; ;
Kind
Stress
Biomarker
Eltern
Trennung
Stieffamilie
Keywords: ; ; ; ;
biomarker
child well-being
parental separation
stepfamily formation
stress
DDC Classification:
RVK Classification:
Type:
Article
Activation date:
May 6, 2025
Permalink
https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/106943