Poster #1 - Parental Absence, Household Dynamics, and Child Development: Evidence from the Young Lives Cohort Study

• In Event: 2-001 - Poster Session 1 during Breakfast

Abstract

Intersecting trends in urbanization, migration, and aging are an understudied area pertinent to the future of family dynamics, especially in low and middle-income countries. Urbanization forecasts suggest an additional 2.5 billion people will be added to the urban population globally by 2050 (UNWPP 2014). The pace of urbanization is increasing in low and middle-income countries, with 48% of low-income residents expected to live in urban areas by 2050. Rural-to-urban migration holds implications for household dynamics as entire households relocate or family members are left to care for dependents in rural areas (WMR 2015). Simultaneously, the population aged 60 and older is accelerating in low- and middle-income countries (WPA 2015). Many low and middle-income countries do not have comprehensive social safety nets, increasing intergenerational reliance on transfers in both upward and downward directions. We examine the association between household configurations and child well-being in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam using cohort data from the Young Lives study. Much of the parental migration literature focuses on substitution, where wages earned outside the home may mitigate effects felt by parental absence. Here we consider how the intersection of aging, parental absence, and household configuration are associated with measures of child health. The Young Lives cohort data contain two cohorts, enrolling a total of 3,000 children in each country (Figure 1). Five rounds of data were collected, with the final round available mid-2018. Subjective birth weight and health status were asked in rounds 1-2 and height and weight were measured in all rounds. We employ multilevel models stratified by country to estimate the relationship between parental absence, household composition, and child health on four different domains (Table 1). Among children in Ethiopia, those who see their father weekly have lower odds of being rated heavier than their peers who see their father daily. Children with one or both parents absent have lower odds of being rated healthier or heavier than their peers in Peru and Ethiopia. We find some evidence of substitution for paternal absence in India (Table 1, Panel B). Further analyses will consider how household composition is related to socio-emotional development. Forthcoming availability of round 4 data will enable assessment of longitudinal measurement invariance on these domains. This study takes a holistic view by including multiple measures of child physical and socio-emotional wellbeing and incorporating specific measures of household compositional changes over time, offering an in-depth understanding of impacts of parental migration.

Authors

• Megan Elizabeth Costa, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Natalie Desrochers Wilkens, T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University