Measuring Family Relationships in the Fragile Families Study

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Measuring Family Relationships in the Fragile
Families Study

• Marcy Carlson
• Columbia University

July 16, 2004 Fragile Families Summer Data
Workshop
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Baseline M-F Relationship Status

• History
• How long knew each other before got pregnant
• Why did romantic rel. end (if broken up)
• Current relationship status
• Married (yes/no)
• Cohabiting (yes/no)
• Type (steady romantic on off just friends
  hardly talk never talk)
• Chances of marriage to babys father (none, a
  little, 50-50, pretty good, almost certain)
• Chances of ever marrying someone (same as above)

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Baseline M-F Relationship Quality

• Supportiveness (often, sometimes, never)
• Fair willing to compromise
• Shows affection/love
• Insults/criticizes
• Encourages/helps
• Conflict (often, sometimes, never)
• Money, spending time, sex, the pregnancy,
  drinking/drugs, being faithful
• Companionship (did in last month)
• Visited w/ friends, went out, ate out, helped
  solve problem

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1 Year M-F Relationship Status

• History
• Relationship type when child born (married, rom.,
  sep/div., just friends, not in any)
• Cohabiting when child born (all/most, some,
  rarely, never)
• Dates marriage, cohab, sep/divorce, end of rel.
• Why did relationship end
• Current relationship status
• Type (married, rom., sep/div., just friends, not
  in any)
• Cohabiting (all/most, some, rarely, never)
• Not all/most of nights, how often see/talk (18
  cities)

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1 Year M-F Relationship Quality

• Supportiveness (often, sometimes, never)
• Fair willing to compromise
• Expresses affection/love
• Insults/criticizes
• Encourages/helps
• Listens when need someone to talk to
• Really understands your hurts joys
• Argue (always, often, sometimes, rarely, never)
• Overall quality (poor, fair, good, very good,
  excellent)
• Controlling behavior
• Tries to keep from seeing friends/family
• Tries to prevent from going to work/school
• Withholds money

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1 Year M-F Relationship Quality

• Questions asked about mother and biological
  father (regardless of residential status)
• Questions asked about residential new partners

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Baseline Father Involvement

• Mom report
• Gave money
• Helped in another way
• Visited in hospital
• Name on birth certificate
• Baby will have surname
• Dad says wants to be involved
• Dad report
• Gave money
• Helped in another way
• Present at birth
• Has held baby
• Name on birth certificate
• Baby will have surname
• Wants to be involved

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1 Year Father-Child Activities(F about self M
about F)

• Play games
• Sing songs/nursery rhymes
• Read stories
• Tell stories
• Play inside with toys
• Take child to visit relatives
• Hug or show physical affection
• Put child to bed
• Change diaper only M about F
• Feed or give bottle only M about F

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Father-Child Contact about One Year after Babys
Birth (n4,337)
Nonmarital birth
Marital birth
94.4
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Father-Child Contact about One Year after
Nonmarital Birth (n3,260)
Non-resident at birth
Resident at birth
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Father-Child Activities Past Month
1never 2 lt few times/wk 3few times/wk 4every
day/nearly
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Frequency of Spanking (Last Month)
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The end!