Children living with a step-parent or a lone parent are as happy as those living with two biological parents, the British Sociological Association’s annual conference in Leeds heard today [Thursday 24 April].
In a major UK study on wellbeing, researchers from NatCen Social Research analysed data from the Millennium Cohort Study on 12,877 children aged seven in 2008 and found no significant difference in happiness.
Whether the children lived with two biological parents, a step-parent and biological parent, or in a single parent family, made no difference to how they rated their happiness: 64% said they were happy ‘sometimes or never’, and 36% said they were ‘happy all the time’.
Even when the researchers statistically removed the effects of other factors such as parental social class so that the effects of family type were isolated, the results showed no significant differences.
Jenny Chanfreau, Senior Researcher at NatCen, told the conference that, in contrast, relationships with parents and other children were strongly linked with how likely the seven-year-olds were to be happy. For instance, factors such as getting on well with siblings and not being bullied at school were associated with being happy all the time.
Ms Chanfreau said they found a similar result when analysing another set of survey data on 2,679 children aged 11 to 15 in the UK – this also showed no significant statistical difference in the level of wellbeing among children in the three types of family when the effects of family type were studied in isolation.
Ms Chanfreau told the conference: “We found that the family type had no significant effect on the happiness of the seven-year-olds or the 11-15 year olds.
“It’s the quality of the relationships in the home that matters – not the family composition. Getting on well with siblings, having fun with the family at weekends, and having a parent who reported rarely or never shouting when the child was naughty, were all linked with a higher likelihood of being happy all the time among seven-year olds.
“Pupil relations at school are also important – being bullied at school or being ‘horrible’ to others was strongly associated with lower happiness in the seven-year-olds, for instance.”
Ms Chanfreau worked with Cheryl Lloyd, Christos Byron, Caireen Roberts, Rachel Craig and Sally McManus of NatCen Research on the analysis and report, and Danielle De Feo of the Department of Health also contributed.
Results summary:
In the Millennium Cohort Study survey, data were gathered in 2008 on 12,877 children aged seven, and their parents.
Of those children living with two biological (or adoptive) parents: 64% said they were ‘sometimes or never’ happy and 36% said they were happy ‘all the time’. The exact same percentages were found for those living with one step-parent and one biological parent, and for those living with a lone parent.
The researchers then statistically controlled for other factors, such as their parents’ class and the level of the deprivation in the area where the home was, so that the influence of the family type on the seven-year-olds could be studied in isolation.
After doing this they found that those in living with a step-parent and a biological parent, and those living with a lone parent, were marginally less likely to be in the ‘happy all the time’ category, but this result was negligible and not statistically significant, and so was discounted.
Instead, factors such as relationships with others were found to be both important and statistically valid, including getting on with their siblings, having friends, having fun with the family or not being bullied at school.
A fourth family type – those not living with either a natural or adoptive parent – was linked with reduced happiness, but there were so few children in this category (forming only 0.3% of the total) that no further statistical analysis could be carried out.
The researchers also used data from the Understanding Society Study survey, gathered from 2009-2011 on 2,679 people aged 11 to 15. After removing other factors to isolate the effect of family type, the researchers found that those living with one step-parent and one biological parent were slightly more likely to be happier than those living with two biological (or adoptive) parents, and that those living with a lone parent were slightly less likely to be as happy as those living with two biological parents; however neither result was statistically significant and both were discounted. In effect, the family type had no effect on the 11-15 year-olds’ happiness.
From what I know, parents are not the only entities that can affect one’s happiness. There are many other factors that should also be taken into account. Some of these factors, including the few mentioned in the article, are: school, bullying, friends, relationship between parents, family type etc.
But there are other factors that cannot exactly be tested that affects one’s happiness. For example the situation at home, whether the/a parent is an alcoholic, drug and/or gambling addict… A child may have grown up with this kind of behavior or living situation and have never known to feel differently about such a thing at such a young age because they have always known how to cope with the particular events. The child may be happy, not because of the situation at home, but even just to be surrounded by a lot of friends or to be doing well at school, thus feeling indifferently about whatever happens or whatever the parents, or parent does at home.
With the above example, the situation and outcome may apply to ALL family types despite whether the parents are divorced or not.
Some children may not know what to feel when it comes to parents and happiness. I say this because some children do end up taking care of their own parents because they are incapable, bedridden, disabled, unemployed or poor, and the child feels obliged to help them. This could then lead to some sort of depression, but on the other hand the child could also be happy just to be with the parent. This situation also could be part of any family type.
Say for instance on the day the experiments and surveys were performed as mentioned in the above article, a child got into a fight with his/her parents at home, who are happily married and have little to no issues at home, would that child have still said that he/she was happy with his parents and the living situation at home? Of course the child would have said that he/she is not happy simple because they were in a bad mood because of the fight, when actually, the child probably is happy at home.
The same kind of event could apply, but in the opposite sense, where the child stays in a completely unstable home and is unhappy on most days. But for some reason on one day the child’s parent/ parents do something unusually nice for them, which makes the child happy for that one day of school that the experiments and surveys were run. The child would then be inclined to say that they are happy at home just because one day his/her parents were nice to them, where in actual fact, the child should have said that they were unhappy with the living situation or family type at home.
Basically from what I have mentioned, I don’t fully agree with the article and the experiments that were run, because I believe that happiness is like a shifting scale which is constantly changing, and it can be different for everyone despite the family type or living situation at home.
Judging from my background, growing up living with only 1 biological parent i can say that i agree 100% with this statement. You don’t need to have both parents for you to be happy, this happiness comes from how your parents treat you, the attention they give you, and the kind if relationship you have between you and your parents,as mentioned in the article. you may have both parents and feel incomplete and unhappy because you don’t have a good relationship, it all boils down to the type of relationship between child and parent(s).
I agree with that the happiness of children is not determined by the composition of the parents but the quality of relationship granted by the parents.How do you expect a child to be happy if he/she is not made comfortable by the parent regardless of a lone parent or not?
As someone who grew up with one biological parent and in later years one step-parent, I can confidently agree with the article that children living with one parent are indeed just as happy as those living with two. I have personally experienced numerous occasions where close friends have been less happy in their two-parent homes then I was in my single-parent one. The only conclusion this can lead me to is that the quality of happiness in the home is not dependent directly upon the number of biological parents present but rather on the state of the relationship between the parent and child. Growing up with only one biological parent and later on having to include a step-parent into the equation had no effect on correlated effect on my happiness despite my being old enough to understand the circumstances of the situation. The happiness of a child is largely dependent upon their ability to relate to the people around them as well as those people’s understanding towards the child. However, many children brought up in one-parent homes are taught responsibility much earlier on than those from two-parent homes which could factor into their given unhappiness in the home. In conclusion, I can only assume that those children unhappy in their one=parent homes experience this as a result of lack of attention and understanding, both of which would not necessarily increase given two-parents.
I believe that living with both parents is the best kind of happiness any child can have. There are unfortunately cases where children grew up with only one parent. I am not saying that these children are not happy but there will always be something/someone missing. If you are use to having both your parents then suddenly losing one can take all your happiness away because you will always miss the other parent. But if you have always known just your one parent you will not know how it feels to have both with you everyday. In both cases the child can be as happy as can be but what can make you happier than having both parents for advise, love and care?
The statistics found in this study are truly fascinating and exceptionally important to changing stereotypes about single parents, step parents or adoptive parents. Many people still look down upon single parents and their ability to raise a happy, well-adjusted child, and this study helps to break down the stereotype that parents, step-parents, or adoptive parents cannot raise a child as well as two biological parents. At the end of the day, the child is happy due to his relationship with those around him, such as siblings and friends, as well as the quality of the relationship with his parental figure(s), and other external factors.
I believe that more studies like this, as well as studies done on the happiness and well-being of children being raised by same-sex couples, such as the Australian Study of Child Health in Same-Sex Families, where the early results show that children from same-sex families develop well, despite discrimination, should be made more public so that slowly but surely, the stereotypes surrounding parents who do not fit society’s traditional idea can be removed.
I believe that living with both your parents is the best kind of happiness any child can have. There are unfortunately cases where children grew up with only one parent. I am not saying that this children are not happy but there will always be something missing. If you are use to having both your parents and then suddenly losing one can take all your happiness away because you will always miss the other parent. But if you have always known just your one parent you will not know how it feels to have both with you everyday. In both cases the child can be as happy as can be but what can make you happier than having both your parents for advice, love and care?
(u14005957)
This is quite an interesting article. The natural assumption is that children with both biological parents would be happier, so these results are intriguing.
It does make sense that happiness in a family would be related to parent-child relationships, irrespective of who the parent is. Relationships are developed over time, so given an entire childhood, any parent willing to put in effort should be able to form a solid relationship.
Something I didn’t pick up from the article was whether this study included families affected by divorce or death while the child was old enough to be affected, or if it is only children raised by a specific parent or parents from a very young age?
If I had to find a problem, I would say that there may be a design flaw in the research. Happiness is too subjective to accurately measure. How would one even go about asking, or answering, such a question? If someone answers “Happy some of the time” because they are not always unhappy, it is a significant difference from someone who answers the same because they are happy most of the time. There is too much uncertainty for the study to be as accurate as one might like, but at the same time, it provides an interesting conclusion.
Children need both parents while their are growing up,but that does not mean that those who have single parent cannot be happy.There is a certain stage where a child need both parents especially at the adolecence stage a child need support from both parents as they are undergoing several change.I also grow up with a single parent,I cannot say I was not happy but sometimes I felt left out when my friends talk about their parent and that usually reminds me that I do not have both parent. having single parent can also prevent the child to know their origin and their culture.good environment and how families intereact with each other also contribute to children,s happiness.parents must treat their children equally and same as those who are not their biological children so that they can all be happy.
As I have previously stated, I do not entirely disagree with the article, but there are a few factors in the study that I think are inaccurate. As many of you have mentioned above, the age-group used in the study is far too young. Children at that age are’nt able to express themselves entirely, they are not yet emotionally intelligent enough to be aware of the depth to which “happiness” can be determined. They don’t even necessarily know the true meaning of happiness… Who does..? Another loophole in the study is how being raised by both parents or only a single parent affects that child when he becomes an adolescent and even an adult. I have witnessed vaious cases where a child seemed happy with his situation of having an absent parent, but in later years is very negatively affected by that when the realisation of perhaps rejection finally strucks.
Also the study focussed on the “happiness” – positive emotional state – of the children, but did they consider how sucessful the child was for example academically or in sports? And how does single parenting affect the childs relationship with other children and process of making friends?
It is indeed the quality of the relationship that matters. Many relationships are built through a good interaction between the two. It doesn’t matter whether you have biological parents or adopted parents but what matters is the quality of the relationship you have with them. The kind of environment you grow in is what makes you happy or sad, this includes the friends you have, the basic education you get, the food you eat and the kind of people who are around you. Some kids do grow up with their biological parents some do not but however they tend to both live a happy healthy life because of the relationship they have built with their loved ones.
Although there might be a greater chance for children living with both parents to be much more happier than those with single or no parents,I agree with what most of you are saying that if both parents are happily married and together then the children will grow up knowing what happiness is and how to express love to other people.Unfortunately not every child is lucky enough to experience that.Sometimes it is not by choice but circumstances and challenges occur in life.This is what we cannot control.
I personally commend single parents for ensuring that their children receive as much love and happiness that they can offer.It still depends on these two factors among the others.Most children with lone parents are as happy as those with both living parents.
I agree with the article because I also grew up with a single parent, my Mother. I believe that the only thing more difficult than raising a kid on your own, is raising three boys on your own. When growing up, there was never a moment whereby my two brothers I felt that we lacked another parent just to feel complete because my Mother’s love always made sure that we were as happy as we could ever be!
that is so true
I believe that a child needs to have both parents while growing up. The child’s might be happy for now but I still think the real effect will occur when they reach adulthood. Having a single parent still seems like the child will not have a rigid development through life. Parents should always be hands-on with their children and not let a single parent take most of the responsibility.
This is a very interesting subject. Looking at the statistics it is believable that the children happiness would not be significantly different. The children were between the ages of 11 to 15, which is a relatively young age, therefor I think that the children might not be used to any other circumstances therefor their happiness will not be significantly different. I don’t fully agree with the study being done on 11-15 year olds. These young children are very impressionable and it can’t actually be proven that their ratings of their happiness are 100% accurate. Also how is it possible to rate your own happiness. This is a difficult concept to grasp. Some studies show that children from 17 years and older are more mature and I feel that the age group between 17 to 19 years of age would have been a better group to study. The site http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/26/2/549.full gives very interesting correlation between different living conditions and mental and physical health of children. This concept is actually very interesting because can you imagine yourself in a different circumstances then what you are now? Would you feel different than now?
When I first read this article I was not only intrigued by the studies, but also lured by the strongly opinionated comments and the platform of debate that had been posted on this blog.
Although I found the article highly interesting I have to agree with u14080542 with regards to the fact that there are more studies proving that children who live with both parents do tend to live happier and more successful lives. This does not condone children with single parents or no parents at all. It merely means that there is a greater chance that children who do have both parents, specifically parents who are in healthy marriages, will in actual fact lead a happier and successful life. (Parke, “Are Married Parents Really Better for Children?”http://www.clasp.org/).
How so? Although, many children will deny it – their parents play an integral role in their up-bringing. Both mother and father influence their children in what may be seemingly small, yet a very significant manner. Although a child may seem happy and say they are happy at the age of 7 or 16, they very often imply and relate to their circumstantial happiness (Dr Cloud, 2011). This implies that they are not bullied, have a couple of good relationships and have all the material goods that they may need… But does this imply that they are genuinely happy? Very often these children are in actual fact happy, but end up lacking in self confidence and often end up having broken families themselves as they never had the correct and adequate support from stable parents who simply laid strong foundations.
I am a strong believer that happiness is choice. Thus I do believe that children with single parents can have a successful and happy life, however, due to desirable circumstances children with both parents have been proven to have a happier and successful life.
The ultimate question regarding the controversial topic “happiness” does come forth though – What is HAPPINESS really mean to you?
This is a very interesting subject. Looking at the statistics it is believable that the children happiness would not be significantly different. The children were between the ages of 11 to 15, which is a relatively young age, therefor I think that the children might not be used to any other circumstances therefor their happiness will not be significantly different. I don’t fully agree with the study being done on 11-15 year olds. These young children are very impressionable and it can’t actually be proven that their ratings of their happiness are 100% accurate. Also how is it possible to rate your own happiness. This is a difficult concept to grasp. Some studies show that children from 17 years and older are more mature and I feel that the age group between 17 to 19 years of age would have been a better group to study. This concept is actually very interesting because can you imagine yourself in a different circumstances then what you are now? Would you feel different than now?
I was raised under the pretext that a child LIVES what he/she learns. If a child is raised in an inharmonious environment i.e. disgruntled parents, domestic violence etc they will be more susceptible in practicing that life style once they are older. However, having said that it could also have the opposite effect on them by ensuring that they do not live what they have learnt.
Personally I think it would be far better to have a child removed from an unhealthy upbringing. Living with the most suitable parent/family member can only be more settling for the young child, thus ensuring a sense of stability which I think is very important in making him/her a successful and independent young adult.
This is a very interesting article, but unfortunately I cannot agree with it. I have read of other studies done, proving otherwise, thus that children growing up in a household with two parents are happier and more likely to succeed in life than those with a single parent. (“Why Marriage Matters: 26 Conclusions from the Social Sciences,” Bradford Wilcox, Institute for American Values, http://www.americanvalues.org/html/r-wmm.html) Of course your happiness also compiles if the life choices you make as an individual, but naturally growing up with two parents should be a healthier environment for a child to grow up in, considering that there is twice the amount of love and guiding a child can receive. These children also receive gender specific support which is of great importance. Most children grow up in single parent households because of divorce, studies also showed that children of so called “good divorces” fared worse emotionally than children who grew up in an unhappy but “low-conflict’” marriage. (“Ten Findings from a National Study on the Moral and Spiritual Lives of Children of Divorce,” Elizabeth Marquardt, http://www.betweentwoworlds.org)
Yet this is only my opinion based on investigation done by other people, but it is the results I choose to believe more, just like someone else might take these findings more to heart.