Family Dynamics through Childhood: a Sibling Model of Behavior Problems*

This article draws upon theories of the life course and child development to examine how structural changes in the family and parenting practices affect child behavior problems in middle childhood. Our analysis improves upon prior research by simultaneously examining the effects of poverty, single-motherhood, welfare, and kin co-residence, distinguishing between early and current exposure to changes of these family conditions, and controlling for unobserved, preexisting family differences. We estimate fixed-effects sibling models using the matched mother–child data of NLSY79. We find two robust relationships: child behavior problems are shaped by early childhood poverty, which is not mediated by current parenting nor contaminated by family selection, and mothers use of physical punishment, which is not contaminated by family selection. The findings support the early childhood exposure hypothesis applied to poverty, a parenting hypothesis applied to mother s physical punishment, and a family selection hypothesis applied to positive parenting, father s time, and cultural activities. 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 0049-089X/$ see front matter 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2004.10.003 q This research was supported by a grant to the first author from the National Institute of Child and Human Development (R01HD34293), and a grant to the second author from the National Science Foundation (SES-9311014). The opinions and conclusions stated in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent any of the funding agencies. We thank Andy Cherlin, Daphne Kuo, and anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on an earlier draft. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (L. Hao). L. Hao, R.L. Matsueda / Social Science Research 35 (2006) 500–524 501