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Child development

Family Stress Model Confirmed Across Diverse Family Structures in US Study

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A recent study published in the Journal of Family Psychology has confirmed the theoretical utility of the family stress model (FSM) across three common family structures in the United States: biologically connected/adopted two-parent families (T-B/A), stepfamilies (ST), and single-parent families (SP). The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California Davis, used multigroup structural equation modeling to test the FSM across a representative sample of children in the US, revealing that family structure moderates three of the nine pathways in the FSM. Specifically, the association between socioeconomic status and parental mental health and the association between parental aggravation and children's grades were found to be stronger in T-B/A families than in ST and SP families.

Key Takeaways:

  • The family stress model (FSM) posits that socioeconomic status affects child developmental outcomes through parental mental health and parenting practices.
  • The study used multigroup structural equation modeling to test the FSM across three family structures: biologically connected/adopted two-parent families, stepfamilies, and single-parent families.
  • The results show that family structure moderates three of the nine pathways in the FSM, with associations between socioeconomic status and parental mental health, parental aggravation and children's grades, and parental aggravation and children's mental health being stronger in biologically connected/adopted two-parent families than in stepfamilies and single-parent families.
  • The remaining associations in the FSM were consistent across the three family structures.
  • The study highlights the need to incorporate family structure-related variables, such as stressors unique to stepfamilies and single-parent families, into future research.
  • The findings have implications for the development of effective interventions to support children's mental health and well-being across diverse family structures.

Statistics:

  • The study sample consisted of 28,234 children in the United States, of whom 13,671 were females and 14,563 were males.
  • The average age of the children was 12.5 years.
  • The study used a multigroup structural equation modeling approach to test the FSM across the three family structures.
  • The associations between socioeconomic status and parental mental health, parental aggravation and children's grades, and parental aggravation and children's mental health were found to be stronger in biologically connected/adopted two-parent families (T-B/A) than in stepfamilies (ST) and single-parent families (SP).

Sources:

  • "Testing the Family Stress Model Across Diverse Family Structures In the United States." Journal of Family Psychology, 2025.
  • Journal of Family Psychology (www.apa.org/pubs/journals/fam/index.aspx)
  • Yushan Zhao, University of California Davis, Dept. of Human Ecology, Hart Hall, 301 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, United States.

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