Little evidence that nonmonogamous family structures are detrimental to children's well-being in Mpimbwe, Tanzania.

ABSTRACT: Nuclear family structures are often thought to be essential for the well-being of children. Divorce, the loss of either biological parent, the presence of step-parents, and the practice of polygynous marriage have all been claimed to negatively impact child well-being. However, empirical research on these topics has been limited by the routine use of cross-regional and cross-sectional databases. Cross-regional data render research vulnerable to the ecological inference fallacy, and cross-sectional data prevent assessment of age-specific impacts of time-varying family-structure variables. When longitudinal data are available, they tend to be drawn from Western/urban contexts. Detailed data on family structure and children's well-being are rarely collected in more marginalized communities. I

SUBMITTER: Minocher R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11670189 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature