Intergenerational continuity and stability in early family formation.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

This study examines intergenerational continuity (mean level similarity) and stability (maintenance of rank ordering of individuals) in age and marital status at the time of becoming a young parent using prospective data from 3 generations of 585 families. G2 participants were recruited at the age of 5 years and followed until the age of 28, by which time 227 had become parents themselves. The findings suggest that despite dramatic intergenerational discontinuities with young adults, on average, now being more likely to be unmarried and older at the time of becoming parents than in previous generations, intergenerational stability in age and marital status at the time of becoming a young parent is still substantial. This intergenerational stability was, for the most part, not moderated by demographic, familial, or behavioral factors, suggesting that a developmental, multigenerational perspective is necessary to understand what has previously been considered a largely demographic issue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Lansford, JE; Pettit, GS; Rauer, A; Vandenberg, CE; Schulenberg, JE; Staff, J; Jager, J; Dodge, KA; Bates, JE

Published Date

  • April 2019

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 33 / 3

Start / End Page

  • 370 - 379

PubMed ID

  • 30628807

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC6449194

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1939-1293

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0893-3200

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1037/fam0000497

Language

  • eng