Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Turmoil in Children's Lives

Turmoil is the norm for many children, according to a Census Bureau study. Among the nation's children under age 18, the 56 percent majority experience potentially troublesome transitions in their home life over a four-year time period. Using Survey of Income and Program Participation longitudinal data, the Census Bureau examined three types of transitions: 1) a change in the number of parents (or partners) in the home; 2) moving from one house to another; and 3) an employment change for at least one parent.

Some children's lives are much more chaotic than others. Not surprisingly, the lower the income the greater the chaos. Among children with family incomes below poverty level, fully 70 percent experienced at least one transition over a four-year period. Among children with the highest family incomes, only 42 percent experienced a transition.

Source: Census Bureau, A Child's Day: Living Arrangements, Nativity, and Family Transitions: 2011 (Selected Indicators of Child Well-Being

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