Child Health Conditions and Parental Separation Risk

Philipp Dierker , Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR)
Sanna Kailaheimo-Lönnqvist, University of Helsinki
Mine Kühn, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Niina Metsä-Simola, University of Helsinki
Hanna Remes, University of Helsinki
Pekka Martikainen, University of Helsinki
Mikko Myrskylä, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research and London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Previous research examining whether children’s health conditions increase the risk of parental separation shows considerable heterogeneity in the results. This may be because different health conditions affect the family differently, and because the effects vary by SES and parental marital status. This study examines the association between child health and the risk of parental separation. Using data from Finnish population registers with an analytical sample of 363,873 pairs of parents with children born between 1986 and 1991, families are followed throughout childhood. Cox proportional hazard models with time-varying covariates are applied to examine the risk of parental separation before and after the first diagnosis of a child’s health condition. Ten chronic somatic conditions are examined, categorized into less severe, severe, and life-threatening conditions. Preliminary results indicate that diagnoses of less severe and severe conditions in children increase the parental separation risk, while diagnoses of life-threatening health conditions decrease the risk. In addition, the results indicate that parents of children with less severe and severe but not life threatening conditions have a significantly increased risk of separation even before the initial diagnosis.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session P2. Health, Mortality, Ageing - Aperitivo