The family unit can support a child’s wellbeing by providing safety, social support, and care. Yet, family instability challenges the cohesiveness of family life and thus wellbeing of a child. Family instability can be defined as a chronically chaotic and unpredictable family environment. The major factors that can contribute to family instability include residential mobility, number of parents’ romantic relationships, economic instability, and parental stress.

Studies have shown that parental separation – a potential contributor to family instability that half of all US families experience – is linked to poor behavioral outcomes for children. Specifically, children whose parents have separated tend to struggle with depression, anxiety, antisocial behavior, and lower academic achievement. It should be said, though, that boys and girls experience the effects of parental separation differently. Another study focusing on how parental separation affects young children behavior found that girls tended not to display antisocial behavior or issues with school performance, which are often labeled as “externalizing” behavior problems. In contrast, boys who were in elementary school showed an increase in externalizing behavior problems following parental separation.

These studies have raised some unsolved questions for future studies to examine. It is possible that, since boys and girls react to parental separation differently, they may do so for other types of family instability as well. Gaining these insights can help not just families, but social workers, educators and other types of professionals that support families through difficult times.

By Sharbari Ganguly, Graduate Assistant at the Center for Social Development and Education.