Journal of Marriage and Family

Objective This study examines the instability in post‐divorce child residence arrangements over a 10‐year period and its impact on children's socioemotional difficulties. Background The increase in shared residence arrangements (joint physical custody) has led to renewed interest in understanding how children fare in different post‐divorce residence arrangements. These arrangements may, however, change as circumstances likely change after divorce, potentially affecting children's well‐being. Method Data from the “New Families in the Netherlands” survey covering three waves over 10 years after union dissolution were used. The sample included parents who divorced or separated from cohabitation in 2010. We used multiple linear regression analyses to estimate the association between instability in child residence and parent‐reported socioemotional difficulties of children aged 4–17 years. Results Instability in child residence arrangements was not uncommon, with nearly one‐third of parents reporting change within 10 years. Sole mother residence was the most common and stable arrangement, while shared residence showed the highest instability. Instability was associated with increased child difficulties. Sole‐to‐sole residence changes had the strongest impact, while stable shared residence was associated with the least child difficulties. Conclusion The study highlights the prevalence of instability in post‐divorce residence arrangements and its negative impact on children's well‐being. Our study nuances previous findings on the benefits of shared residence by showing that it is especially stable shared residence that benefits children.

Objective Aiming to broaden our understanding of parental gender differences within the framework of attachment theory, this study explores how parents' prenatal attachment styles relate to parenting stress, parent–infant interaction, and paternity leave, by investigating how attachment styles and gender interact to predict parenting outcomes. Background The attachment system is at the core of parental adjustments during the perinatal period, underscored by the interplay between attachment styles and caregiving behavior. Yet, gender differences in these associations remain poorly understood, despite variations in parenting roles. Methods Families (N = 1036) participating in a prospective community‐based study in Norway reported adult attachment orientations during pregnancy. Postnatal data included self‐reported parenting stress, observed mother–infant/father–infant interactions, and paternal parental leave uptake. A path analysis was carried out, using multigroup comparisons to investigate parental gender differences. Results Prenatal adult attachment avoidance and anxiety predicted higher parenting stress (range: β = 0.12–0.38), and attachment avoidance predicted higher father–infant interactional difficulties postnatally (β = 0.35). Fathers' attachment insecurities were related to lower uptake of paternity leave through indirect pathways with a small effect size. Associations between attachment avoidance and all parenting outcomes were consistently stronger for fathers than mothers. Conclusion Adult attachment styles among expectant parents are associated with a diverse range of parenting outcomes, with findings revealing gendered patterns in the links between adult attachment and caregiving systems during the perinatal period.

Objective This article aims to understand how relationship status is associated with earnings among LGB people. Background Previous research has found that marriage is related to higher earnings for men and lower earnings for women, but has not often considered whether this holds across different sexual identities. Method We use the longitudinal Understanding Society data from the UK to show how the earnings of LGB individuals are associated with relationship status (single, non‐residential partner, residential partner, married). Results Cohabiting or married men generally earn more compared to single men, regardless of sexual identity. However, gay men's earnings only increase after marrying, whereas heterosexual and bisexual men's earnings increase after entering any co‐residential relationship. This suggests that gay men might receive more social support or employer approval after entering a normative relationship form. Heterosexual women start earning less after marriage, whereas the impact of changes in relationship status on earnings is relatively small and non‐significant for bisexual and lesbian women. These results are largely explained by paid and unpaid work hours, suggesting that the division of labor within relationships lowers earnings among heterosexual women but not among LGB women. Conclusion LGB women's earnings depend relatively little on changes in relationship status. At the same time, gay men only receive premiums related to having a partner once they marry.

Objective We explore how incarcerated brothers experience support from their non‐incarcerated siblings. Background Sibling incarceration is the most common type of family member incarceration, with more than one‐quarter of U.S. adults enduring a sibling's incarceration (and, most commonly, a brother's incarceration). Despite the prevalence of sibling incarceration and the importance of sibling relationships throughout the life course, little is known about sibling support in the context of incarceration from the receiver's perspective (or other family members' perspectives). Method We use longitudinal in‐depth interviews with 122 incarcerated adult brothers and 69 of their mothers to explore how system‐impacted families negotiate non‐incarcerated sibling support. Results We find that incarcerated brothers and their mothers describe navigating four types of sibling support: (1) unconditional, intrinsic support to incarcerated brothers and other family members shaped by cultural expectations of family reliance; (2) mediated, reluctant support to incarcerated brothers prompted by mothers; (3) disengaged, infrequent support to incarcerated brothers due to constraints and/or to protect themselves; and (4) absent, no support to incarcerated brothers because siblings have grown tired of their brothers cycling through the criminal legal system. Conclusion We advance scholarship on criminal legal contact and family life by documenting how incarcerated brothers experience support from their non‐incarcerated siblings and highlight the considerable and enduring consequences of incarceration for the entire family system.

Objective To identify parenting profiles among Singaporean mothers of young children and to examine the longitudinal implications of these profiles for children's well‐being during middle childhood. Background The universality of traditional parenting styles (e.g., authoritative, authoritarian), established in Western contexts, and their implications for child well‐being, has been called into question, with studies conducted with Asian populations suggesting these styles may not be universally applicable. Method Our sample consisted of 411 mother–child dyads drawn from a prebirth cohort in Singapore, where mothers reported on their parenting at child age 4.5 years, and children reported on their evaluation of their mothers' parenting and their own depressive symptoms at ages 9 and 10 years, respectively. Results Three latent class profiles of maternal parenting emerged at child age 4.5 years: Supportive (high use of supportive practices and low use of harsh practices), Supportive‐Harsh (high use of both supportive and harsh practices), and Unsupportive (moderate use of both supportive and harsh practices). Children of Unsupportive mothers reported greater maternal indifference at age 9 years and depressive symptoms at age 10 years compared to children of Supportive or Supportive‐Harsh mothers. Children's evaluation of maternal indifference mediated the association between early maternal parenting profiles and later child depressive symptoms. Conclusion Our findings highlight the variation in parenting profiles in Singapore from well‐established parenting styles, and the greater implications of supportive, compared to harsh, parenting practices for children's well‐being.

Objective To investigate whether parents' prenatal expectations of coparenting predict their own and their spouse's postnatal coparenting quality, both at the individual level and in terms of daily variability, and whether prenatal psychological distress at the family level moderates these associations. Background Previous research has shown a link between prenatal and postnatal coparenting, and between poorer coparenting and psychological distress. However, few studies have examined whether prenatal coparenting expectations impact both the level and variability of postnatal coparenting quality or consider psychological distress as a moderator of early coparenting development. Method The coparenting relationship was examined with a longitudinal design that utilized survey data and daily diary data among 144 Finnish couples expecting their first child, through 6 months post‐birth. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate both one's own (actor) and their spouse's (partner) associations between prenatal expectations of coparenting (measured by the CRS‐CPV) and postnatal coparenting (as measured by the D‐COP), and how prenatal psychological distress (assessed using the MHI‐5) might moderate these associations. Results Parents' prenatal expectations of coparenting predicted level of their own postnatal coparenting, but little of the variability in daily postnatal coparenting quality. Family's prenatal psychological distress shaped some associations between prenatal and postnatal coparenting. No gender differences were found. Conclusion These findings shed light on the importance of both parents' prenatal expectations as an early indicator of coparenting and the risks of prenatal psychological distress for the later development of coparenting in early parenthood, even among parents with nonclinical levels of distress.

Objective This study examined age variation in relationship quality and stability, plans to marry, and reasons to cohabit among cohabiting adults in the United States. Background The landscape of cohabitation has changed in the past few decades as cohabitation has surged among older adults even as it has plateaued among younger people. Early research revealed key age‐related variations in the meaning and relationship dynamics of cohabiting unions, but whether these patterns persist nowadays remains an empirical question. Method Data were drawn from the nationally representative 2013 Families and Relationships Survey. The analytic sample was composed of cohabiting adults aged 18–65. Multivariable models investigated age group differences in relationship quality and stability, plans to marry, and reasons to cohabit net of relationship, demographic, and economic factors. Results As expected, relationship quality and stability tended to be higher among older than younger cohabitors. Older cohabitors were the least likely to have plans to marry and to view testing marital compatibility as an important reason for cohabiting. Conclusion Cohabitation appears to operate differently across the adult life course, functioning primarily as a prelude to marriage or an alternative to singlehood earlier in the life course versus an alternative to marriage in later life.

Objective This dyadic study examined how childhood sexual abuse is associated with cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses anticipated in reaction to different types of hypothetical partner touch. Background Trauma theories contend that childhood sexual abuse is associated with long‐term relational challenges, including difficulties with intimacy and physical touch. Touch plays a central role in fostering connection and well‐being in couples, but individuals with a history of childhood sexual abuse and their partner may react differently to touch from a romantic partner. Method A convenience sample of 363 couples (n = 695 participants) mostly living in Canada completed self‐report measures assessing perceptions of sexual intent, anticipated negative affect, and behavioral avoidance in response to hypothetical scenarios depicting affectionate, sexual, or no‐touch. Actor‐partner interdependence models examined the associations between a person's childhood sexual abuse and both partners' responses to touch. Results Individuals with higher childhood sexual abuse frequency anticipated greater negative affect and behavioral avoidance in response to hypothetical sexual touch, but lower avoidance in response to hypothetical affectionate touch. In the hypothetical no‐touch condition, individuals with higher CSA frequency anticipated higher negative affect and men perceived greater sexual intent. Moreover, partners of individuals with higher CSA frequency reported expecting greater negative affect and perceived greater sexual intent. Conclusion Childhood sexual abuse may shape how partners interpret touch, suggesting that while sexual touch may be distressing, affectionate touch could play a role in rebuilding intimacy via lower avoidance.

Objective This study examines the longitudinal and reciprocal relationships between parenthood regret and parental burnout. Background Parenthood regret and parental burnout are increasingly recognized as common, yet distinct forms of negative parental experiences with potentially severe consequences for family wellbeing. Prior research has primarily studied these constructs separately, providing limited insight into how they mutually reinforce one another over time. Method Two longitudinal studies were conducted involving parents from Poland (Study 1; N = 1275, emerging adults, convenience sample, 12‐month duration) and primarily the United Kingdom and United States (Study 2; N = 1545, diverse ages, convenience sample, 8‐month duration). Parenthood regret and parental burnout were assessed using validated self‐report measures administered at three intervals; data were analyzed using cross‐lagged panel models (CLPM) and random‐intercept cross‐lagged panel models (RI‐CLPM). Results Findings indicated reciprocal associations at the between‐person level: parents experiencing higher parental burnout reported increased parenthood regret over time and vice versa. At the within‐person level, however, only increases in parenthood regret consistently predicted subsequent increases in parental burnout; the reverse direction was not supported. Conclusion Parenthood regret and parental burnout are reciprocally linked at the between‐person level, while parenthood regret appears to play a particularly significant role at the within‐person developmental level. Implications Results underscore the need for interventions addressing parenthood regret concerns to reduce long‐term burnout risks.

Objective To investigate the impact of various parental health shocks, including parental death, on young adults' life satisfaction and mental health, personality traits, as well as NEET status (i.e., being neither in employment, education, nor training). Background Theoretical considerations and previous cross‐sectional studies suggest that parental health problems negatively affect child outcomes and may play an important role in the intergenerational transmission of inequality. Evidence remains limited, however, and several studies have found no or negligible effects when using designs that address unobserved confounding. Prior studies tend to investigate only a small set of parental shocks and child outcomes simultaneously, rarely having follow‐up periods beyond adolescence, and disproportionately focus on the Nordic countries. Method We use data from the 1991–2021 waves of the nationally representative German Socio‐Economic Panel (SOEP) to investigate the impact of a wide range of parental health shocks (extended hospitalization, cancer, stroke, cardiac disease, depression, death). Child outcomes are assessed at ages 17 to 25 and include measures of life satisfaction, mental health, personality (locus of control, Big Five), and NEET status. We implement pooled cross‐sectional analyses conditioning on key observables as well as longitudinal individual and family fixed effects regressions to account for unobserved confounding. Results Cross‐sectional results show that parental health shocks are associated with lower child life satisfaction and mental health, increased NEET risks, as well as higher neuroticism and a more external locus of control, but none of the other personality outcomes. Associations appear to be mostly due to confounding, however, since coefficients are strongly attenuated in longitudinal fixed effects models and only the associations with NEET status remain statistically significant. Conclusion Children in Germany appear mostly resilient against serious parental health shocks. Although associations between parental health and child outcomes seem to be largely driven by selection effects, both parental and child health may still play an important role in the intergenerational transmission of inequality, for example, by mediating the effects of shared socio‐economic (dis)advantages or genetic predispositions.

Objective This research note examines whether the fatherhood bonus—the earnings increase that men, on average, experience after the birth of a child—varies by sex of child, a largely overlooked dimension of heterogeneity. We also consider men's paid work hours, as an indicator of time available for active parenting and of men's devotion to breadwinning. Background Competing social understandings of fathers as providers and fathers as caregivers create ambiguity in defining “good fathering.” In practice, fathers spend more time with sons compared to daughters, suggesting that fathers of sons disproportionately understand “good fathers” as involved parents, whereas fathers of daughters understand “good fathers” as financial providers. If so, fathers of daughters would experience a larger fatherhood bonus and longer work hours, as compared to fathers of sons. Method Using fixed‐effects analysis and data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 cohort, the authors examine variation by sex of child in the impact of fatherhood on men's earnings and hours worked. Results Fathers of daughters experience a larger fatherhood bonus than fathers of sons. For married men, who experience the largest fatherhood bonus, the birth of a daughter is associated with increased paid work hours, but the birth of a son is associated with unchanged or reduced work hours. Conclusions These results are suggestive of sex‐of‐child differences in men's understanding of good fathering.

Objective This study examines the role of changes in paid work and housework time on first‐time mothers' and fathers' mental health trajectories. Background The transition into parenthood is a key life course event with important consequences for individuals' activity patterns and couples' division of labor. Yet, whether gendered shifts in paid and domestic work time are linked to men's and women's mental health during the transition to parenthood remains unclear. Method Using large‐scale panel data from the Australian HILDA survey for men and women in different‐sex couples (2002–2022; N = 5932), we apply a longitudinal mediation framework with fixed effects models to determine the extent to which mental health trajectories are affected by changes in paid work and housework hours across the first transition into parenthood, considering both individual and partner‐relative contributions. Results Individual and partner‐relative paid work hours are positively associated with mental health for both men and women, while individual housework hours negatively impact only women. Following parenthood, women experience substantial reductions in paid work and increases in housework hours, but men's time use stays unchanged. Accordingly, despite overall improvements in women's mental health trajectories, findings show that these parenthood‐related changes in time allocations suppress some of the positive effects of childbearing for women, whereas men remain unaffected. Conclusion The transition to parenthood markedly reinforces gendered time use patterns in paid work and housework within couples, with disadvantageous shifts for women that result in small reductions in first‐time mothers' mental health trajectories. The potential factors underlying these findings are discussed.

Objective This study contrasts the associations between parenthood and two central components of subjective well‐being: life satisfaction and meaning in life. Background Theoretical arguments and previous research based on qualitative analyses suggest that parenthood might lower life satisfaction but increase meaning in life. This study provides the first test of this idea based on a large‐scale, multicountry analysis, considering heterogeneity in the link between parenthood and well‐being across sociodemographic groups and national contexts. Methods The data were sourced from the European Social Survey, with more than 43,000 respondents from 30 countries. Multilevel regression models tested the role of parenthood, proxied by the presence of children in the household, on life satisfaction and meaning in life, with separate analyses conducted for women and men. Additional analyses investigated heterogeneity across sociodemographic groups and country clusters. Results The link between parenthood and life satisfaction varied significantly by gender and context, tending to be more negative for parents facing more challenging conditions. Conversely, the analyses revealed a consistent positive link between parenthood and meaning in life for both women and men, regardless of social and national context. Conclusion Parenthood is linked to lower life satisfaction for some groups but to higher meaning in life across diverse populations. However, under certain conditions, such as the culture and policy context of the Nordic countries, parenthood is associated with both higher life satisfaction and meaning, two key components of a good life.

Objective This study examined how relational uncertainty and partner interdependence predict marital satisfaction and intimacy among post‐retirement Arab couples in Israel. Background Retirement has rarely been studied in Arab society, despite its growing relevance due to significant shifts in family roles, gender norms, and social structures. Understanding how couples navigate this life transition is critical, especially in conservative cultural contexts. The Relational Turbulence Model (RTM) offers a useful framework for exploring how uncertainty and interdependence affect relationship quality in later life. Method The sample included 108 retired heterosexual Arab couples ( N = 216; husbands' age M = 70.31, wives' age M = 65.07; average marital duration = 43.58 years). Dyadic data were analyzed using the Actor‐Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). The study controlled for gender, religion, and financial status and focused on five relational turbulence variables: self‐uncertainty, partner uncertainty, relationship uncertainty, interference, and facilitation. Results All five relational turbulence variables significantly predicted both marital satisfaction and intimacy. Strong partner effects were found, indicating that one's partner's uncertainty and interdependence significantly contributed to one's own relationship perceptions. No gender differences or moderating effects were observed. Conclusion Findings Extend RTM to Post‐Retirement Couples Within Arab Society and Highlight the Dyadic Nature of Relational Turbulence in Later Life. Implications Results offer valuable insight for researchers and practitioners working with older couples in culturally traditional contexts undergoing social change.

Objective The focus of the current research was on the mutual contribution of spouses to intimate partner violence (IPV). Based on Bowen's family systems theory, which has received little attention in the field of domestic violence, we examined the associations between self‐differentiation and IPV while considering the mediating role of responsive spousal caregiving in these associations. Background This study addresses a gap in the literature by applying Bowen's theory to examine the interplay between individual self‐differentiation and responsive caregiving in the context of IPV perpetration. Method Participants comprised married couples who were drawn from both the general population ( N = 84) and from agency services ( N = 56) throughout Israel. Husbands and wives completed self‐report measures of self‐differentiation, responsive caregiving, physical assault, and psychological aggression. Variables were tested using the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM). Results Dyadic mediation analysis revealed mediation routes affecting both husbands' and wives' perpetration of physical assault and psychological aggression: The higher the husbands' self‐differentiation, the higher their responsive caregiving which, in turn, was negatively linked to their wives' psychological aggression toward them. The analysis also revealed a mediating role for the wives' responsive caregiving: The higher the husbands' self‐differentiation, the higher their wives' responsive caregiving which, in turn, was negatively linked to their own and their husbands' perpetration of physical assault and psychological aggression toward their spouses. Conclusions The study's findings show both spouses' interdependent contributions and each individual's level of self‐differentiation in understanding the occurrence of IPV. They also point to the impact of sampling considerations and inclusion criteria in the context of IPV research. Finally, on the basis of the findings, interventions targeting IPV might benefit from addressing partners' relational patterns and the degree to which each partner can maintain a sense of self within the relationship.

Objective Guided by intersectional feminism and symbolic interactionism, the purpose of this study was to document the untold stories of women with incarcerated spouses in India. Background When a family member is incarcerated, the task of emotionally and financially supporting the family often falls upon women, who are likely to be underresourced and overwhelmed. Women whose husbands are incarcerated in India are likely to possess multiple marginalized identities, increasing their vulnerability to intersecting forms of oppression. Empirical research is lacking on wives of incarcerated men in India, contributing to their invisibility in policy‐making and programmatic interventions. Method In‐depth, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 14 wives of prison inmates who resided in or around the capital city of Delhi, all of whom either held a lower caste identity or a Muslim religious identity. Transcribed interviews were analyzed following the steps of narrative analysis. Results Results illustrate the diversity of storied experiences of wives of incarcerated husbands in India. Participants' narratives represented three types of stories: Ambivalent but Hanging On , Unconditionally Devoted , and Independent and Disillusioned . Four overarching themes characterized women's experiences with spousal incarceration: gendered care work , being stigmatized and sexualized , staying in the marriage , and ceilings of aspiration . Conclusion This study renders visible women on the margins of Indian society, illustrating how they make meaning of extraordinary life circumstances and persevere through dire hardship.

Objective This study examines real‐time narratives from online forum users to understand their experiences with premarital uncertainty and gain insight into the decision‐making process around dissolving wedding engagements. Background Issues that lead to marital dissolution often emerge early in relationships, making the engagement period a critical phase to address concerns before the legal and emotional complexities of marriage arise. Informed by interdependence and relational turbulence theories, this study investigated how engaged individuals articulate their premarital uncertainties and potential dissolution considerations during the engagement period. Methods Using a grounded theory approach, we analyzed data from 36 Reddit posts about premarital hesitation, alongside 2213 associated comments, from 1535 unique individuals. Results Original posters (OPs) struggled with concerns about the future of their relationships while expressing ongoing feelings of love and commitment to their partners. Commenters validated OPs' concerns and encouraged them to visualize their future marriage. Conclusion We uncovered a premarital hesitation process characterized by emotional ambivalence, reappraisals of the past, and conjecture about the future. Using Reddit data revealed the complexities of stay/leave decisions and the potential role that outsiders can play in responding to relational uncertainty. This rich, naturally occurring dialogue offers rare insights into relationship dynamics that are often elusive in traditional research. Implications Premarital educators and clinicians should consider how couples may be seeking relationship advice in non‐therapeutic spaces. Additionally, researchers could further leverage online forums to collect data from populations that are difficult to reach through conventional methods.

Background The persistent characteristic of marriage in Korea as a package requiring multiple family roles and obligations may conflict with the changing gender-role attitudes that have been facilitated by women's educational expansion and labor force participation. This inconsistency may impact never-married adults' desire to marry. Method We analyzed data from a recent online survey that asked unmarried Korean men and women aged 25–49 about their desires for marriage and attitudes toward gender roles. Using factor analysis and ordered logit regression, we examined the association between gender-role attitudes and marriage desires among never-married adults. Results Factor analysis identified two distinct dimensions underlying gender-role attitudes among never-married Korean adults: (1) attitudes toward the primacy of the breadwinner role for men and (2) attitudes toward the incongruency of work and family for women. We found that gender-role attitudes were significantly associated with marriage desires for women but not for men. Conclusion The stronger relevance of gender-role attitudes for women's marriage desires is consistent with the salience of the marriage package for Korean women. We discuss the implications of our findings for the continued decline in marriage rates in Korea.

Objective Guided by communication privacy management theory, the current study explored whether and how people who are nonmonogamous disclose their nonmonogamy to their parents, as well as parental reactions to identity disclosures. Background Consensual nonmonogamy (CNM) refers to the practice of openly negotiating and engaging in romantic, emotional, or sexual connections with multiple partners concurrently, with the consent of all partners involved. CNM remains highly stigmatized, contributing to CNM as a hidden social identity that often is undisclosed. As a result, people in CNM relationships must make ongoing decisions about whether, how, and why to disclose their identities and relationships to others, including to family members. Method We conducted interviews with 28 CNM and polyamorous people about their experiences disclosing (or not disclosing) to parents that they are nonmonogamous. Data were analyzed using grounded theory procedures. Results Results reveal insights into how people disclosed their CNM identity to parents, parental reactions to CNM disclosures, reasons for not disclosing to parents, and the experience of concealing CNM identities and relationships from family. Conclusion This study adds to emergent research on polyamory and CNM within family science and illuminates how adult children navigate their CNM identities within family contexts.

Objective The aim of this paper is to analyze (a) how highly educated women and men differ in their parental leave‐taking behavior and (b) how parental leave‐taking affects their subsequent wages. Background Labor market theories suggest that taking parental leave can have negative effects on career progress and wages. Consequently, the fact that women are much more likely than men to take parental leave is likely to contribute to long‐term career‐related gender inequalities. At the same time, some studies have shown that wage losses resulting from parental leave are greater for men than for women and are especially pronounced among highly qualified individuals. Method We analyzed data from a nationally representative panel study (7 waves from 2015 to 2021) with doctoral graduates in Germany from the cohort 2013/2014. We used fixed‐effects regressions to estimate intra‐individual changes in hourly wages due to parental leave‐taking. Results Highly educated women took parental leave more often and for much longer periods than highly educated men did. Taking extended parental leave was associated with a reduction in hourly wages. However, this general finding was slightly insignificant for first‐time parents. Against expectations, our analyses did not confirm higher wage penalties for men following a period of parental leave. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the gender‐specific use of parental leave is an important factor in the gender pay gap.

Objective Applying family systems theory, this study examines the relationship between adult children's job sector (public vs. private) and parental subjective well‐being in post‐reform China. Gender disparity and mechanisms have also been examined. Background Individual development is shaped by multilevel interactions within the systematic family units, embedded in larger social structure contexts. The market transition in China, which contributed to a fragmented labor market and divided welfare regimes, may have reshaped the micro parent–child interconnections. Adult children's life circumstances, differentiated by social structures, may lead to inequalities in well‐being among the older generation. Method Drawing on data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study uses the Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting (IPTW) to investigate the association between children's job sector and parental well‐being while controlling for the observable confounding bias. KHB (Karlson‐Holm‐Breen) analysis is used to examine the mediators with the weighted sample. Results Adult children's state‐sector employment is associated with improved parental subjective well‐being, but only daughters' state‐sector jobs significantly favor parental subjective well‐being. The relationships are partly mediated by daughters' well‐being and emotional support toward parents. Conclusion Adopting a systemic approach to understanding social changes, family dynamics, and personal functioning, this study illustrates how a segmented labor market and divided welfare regimes significantly influence individual well‐being through the family process.

Objective Drawing from the integrative model and emotional spillover framework, the current study examined whether parents' experiences of ethnic–racial discrimination informed Latino adolescents' educational adjustment via features of their adaptive culture (i.e., families' relationship quality and cultural socialization practices) and youth's ethnic–racial identity. Background The integrative model suggests that minoritized youth and families encounter systems of ethno‐racial stratification, which indirectly inform youth developmental competencies. This study examined a longitudinal model that explored whether Mexican‐origin mothers' and fathers' ethnic–racial discrimination informed their parent–child relationship quality, their cultural socialization and, in turn, youth's ethnic–racial identity and educational outcomes. Method Data came from a sample of 246 Mexican‐origin families, including mothers ( M age = 39 years, SD = 4.63; 70% Mexico‐born), fathers ( M age = 41.70 years, SD = 5.76; 69% Mexico‐born), and adolescents ( M age = 12.51 years, SD = .76; 62% US‐born). Each family member was interviewed separately at three waves spanning a period of 8 years. Results Indirect associations included mother discrimination to youth ethnic–racial identity via mother cultural socialization, and mother–adolescent acceptance to youth ethnic–racial identity via mother cultural socialization. Direct associations emerged between mother–child relationship quality and youth outcomes. Father reports were not associated with youth's adjustment. Conclusion Findings underscore the importance of mother–adolescent relationships for youth's understanding of their ethnic–racial identity and educational outcomes and as a significant familial relationship that supports youth's development. Although fathers' frequent discrimination relates to greater cultural socialization, the ways youth draw on this relationship for their ethnic–racial identity and educational adjustment may be more nuanced and require further examination.

Objective This study aimed to identify whether interparental conflict (IPC) is associated with patterns of convergence and divergence in parent–adolescent perceptions of parental warmth. Background Adolescents and parents often have divergent perceptions of parenting (informant discrepancies). Parents engaged in IPC may be particularly prone to lapses in warmth, while simultaneously being less likely to be aware of these lapses, leading to informant discrepancies in perceptions of parenting. Method Data from 687 adolescents ( M age = 11.3) from two‐parent households was subsampled from the PROSPER (PROmoting School‐community‐university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience) trials, which involved families from two rural regions of the United States. Five latent profiles with varying degrees of adolescent–parent convergence and divergence in reports of parental warmth, identified in a prior study, were examined. Results Higher adolescent‐reported IPC was associated with a higher likelihood of divergence, in which adolescents perceived lower warmth than one or both parents. Mother‐ and father‐reported IPC were also associated with patterns of divergence in which adolescents perceived lower warmth than parents, albeit less consistently than adolescent reports. Conclusion Findings suggest IPC may impact the parent–child relationship to a greater degree for adolescents than for parents, creating discrepancies. Implications Additional research is needed in order to understand the nature and timing of the relationship between IPC and family informant discrepancies. A stronger understanding of the interrelations between IPC and discrepancies can inform prevention approaches with the goal of promoting healthy youth development and positive family relationships.

Objective This study investigated the association between individuals' economic situation and divorce among the population aged 60+ in Sweden, with a focus on the role of gender and potential changes across cohorts. Background Previous research on divorce has mainly considered individuals of working age or all ages combined, although late‐life divorce is increasing in several Western countries. Economic considerations regarding divorce may differ for older members of the population, who often have a more restricted economic situation and fewer possibilities to respond to the consequences of a dissolution. Method Using Swedish population registers, this study investigated late‐life divorce among cohorts born 1930–1956. Discrete‐time event‐history analysis was employed to study the relationship between income (recent and accumulated individual income, and spouses combined income levels) and divorce across gender and cohorts. Results For women, the results showed a shifting pattern from a positive to a slightly negative gradient of the two individual income measures for divorce. Men had an increasingly negative income gradient in divorce across cohorts. The results for combined income levels for couples corroborate these patterns. Late‐life divorce has become increasingly linked to low income over cohorts. Conclusion The novel findings for older individuals mirror previous findings on trends in the general population, although those studies used other socioeconomic measures. As the association between income and divorce becomes increasingly negative among older women and men, and as the divorce rate increases, there is a growing need to understand different aspects of couple dynamics in later life.

Objective This study examines how perceived gender conflict relates to attitudes toward marriage and childbearing among never‐married childless young adults in South Korea, with a focus on gender differences. Background Since the young feminist movement in South Korea emerged around 2015, gender conflict has become a significant social issue. This heightened perception of gender conflict may exert an influence on young adults' views on marriage and childbearing. Method The study used data from the 2022 Comprehensive Survey on Youth; a nationally representative survey of Koreans aged 19–34. Logistic regression techniques were employed for analysis. Results Young adults in South Korea are less likely to have positive attitudes toward marriage and childbearing as perceived gender conflict increases, and this association is more pronounced in women than in men. Conclusion Increased perception of gender conflict correlates with negative attitudes toward marriage and childbearing, potentially accelerating the trend toward fewer marriages and a lower fertility rate among young Koreans. Young women, in particular, may be more inclined to reject marriage and childbearing in a gender‐unequal society facing a significant backlash.