Stratified Safety Nets: Race/Ethnicity in the Dynamic Bidirectional Relationship between Multigenerational Coresidence and Parenting Stress

• In Event: Family Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 2: Black Families

Abstract

Multigenerational households are often framed as protective for maternal well-being, yet their dynamic and heterogeneous effects remain unclear. Using dynamic panel models with the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), of which around half are single mothers, we examine bidirectional relationships between parenting stress and grandparental coresidence in early childhood. Results show substantial heterogeneity across mothers’ race/ethnicity. Living with grandparents significantly reduces parenting stress for white and Hispanic but not Black mothers; meanwhile, among Black mothers alone, higher parenting stress lowers subsequent entry into coresidence. However, these associations are largely moderated when we broaden the definition of multigenerational households as living with extended family members or adult friends, in addition to grandparents. These findings reveal that intergenerational coresidence may not buffer stress for disadvantaged mothers in fragile families, highlighting the need to move beyond viewing family as a solution to public health issues. 

Authors

• Jingwen Liu, Rice University

• Christina Diaz, Rice University

• Stephanie Koning, University of Wisconsin-Madison