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Childhood Family Transitions and Adolescent Dating Behaviors: A Longitudinal Study

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Abstract

Few studies have looked at the impact of parental cohabitation changes on adolescents’ dating behaviors and relationship quality. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we examined whether mother’s cohabitation changes with the child’s biological father over the first nine years of life were associated with adolescents’ dating behaviors at age 15. Data analysis included ordinal logistic, logistic regression and ordinary least square regression models to test the relationship between maternal-reported cohabitation changes with the biological father and adolescent dating behaviors. Our findings suggest that the type of maternal cohabitation stability, as well as the amount of cohabitation instability, are associated with whether adolescents had ever dated, the number of romantic partners they had, and whether they ever had sex. Cohabitation stability and instability were not associated with adolescents’ perceived relationship quality with their current partner. We conclude that researchers and practitioners should consider how the dating behaviors children observe from their parents at a young age can affect their romantic relationships in adolescence. Relationship programs and interventions already in place can be enhanced by focusing specifically on the impact of participants’ past experiences with parental break-ups and new partnerships.

Highlights

  • We examined whether mother’s cohabitation changes with the child’s biological father over the first nine years of life were associated with adolescents’ dating behaviors.

  • Nearly one-third of adolescents in our sample had experienced a relationship transition between their mother and biological father.

  • Adolescents who experienced one cohabitation transition between their biological mother and father had an increased likelihood of dating and having sex prior to age 15.

  • Mothers’ dating behaviors, such as cohabitation transitions, may negatively affect their children’s dating behaviors in adolescence.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brigham Young University School of Social Work, 2167 JFSB, BYU, Provo, UT, 84602, USA

    Steven Hoffman

  2. University of Michigan School of Social Work, 1080 S University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Kaitlin Paxton Ward

  3. University of Nebraska Omaha, Grace Abbott School of Social Work, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182, USA

    Heidi Adams Rueda

  4. Georgia State University Department of Sport Administration, 125 Decatur St. SE, Suite 137, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA

    Lauren Beasley

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Correspondence to Steven Hoffman.

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Hoffman, S., Ward, K.P., Rueda, H.A. et al. Childhood Family Transitions and Adolescent Dating Behaviors: A Longitudinal Study. J Child Fam Stud (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-023-02758-y

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