Explaining variability in children’s aggressive behaviors after a family change

总结/摘要 这项拟议中的研究旨在考察儿童攻击性行为的差异 家庭组成变化后的问题（ABP）（例如，离婚），这些解释是什么？ 差异，以及这些解释是否因婚姻状况而异。儿童ABP，如 打架，越来越受到从业者和研究人员的关注，因为当ABP 坚持过去的蹒跚学步的岁月，孩子们有更多的困难，在学校学习，形成长期- 持久的友谊，并在以后的生活中保持就业。有相关研究表明， 表明家庭组成与儿童的攻击性行为有关;非婚姻 和不稳定的家庭（例如，家庭组成发生变化的人）倾向于生孩子， 比已婚稳定的家庭有更多的攻击性行为问题。然而，问题 仍然对这种关联背后的机制，可能解释变异性， 儿童的结果和跨研究。为了弥补这一差距，我们提出了一项研究， 脆弱家庭和儿童福利数据。使用结构方程模型框架，我们将 测试家庭功能是否发生变化（共同养育支持，父亲参与）， 经济压力（收入，对经济困难的看法）解释了为什么家庭 组成与攻击行为的变化有关，以及是否有组 婚姻状况的差异。了解家庭变化的后果 组成和可能的干预点将改善方案工作和儿童福祉。 健康的婚姻/关系和负责任的父亲规划的一个最终目标是 帮助夫妻变得更加稳定-无论是在经济上还是在他们的关系方面- 最终改善孩子的健康。因此，研究试图了解健康的 关系和负责任的父亲协会与经济稳定，家庭功能， 和儿童福利有助于解决这些重要的公共卫生问题。

Summary/Abstract The proposed research seeks to examine differences in children’s aggressive behavior problems (ABP) following a change in family composition (e.g., divorce), what explains these differences, and whether these explanations differ by marital status. ABP in children, such as picking fights, are of increasing concern to practitioners and researchers because when ABP persist past the toddler years, children have more difficulty learning in school, forming long- lasting friendships, and maintaining employment later in life. There is correlational research that suggests that family composition is associated with children’s aggressive behaviors; nonmarital and unstable families (e.g., who have had a change in family composition) tend to have children with more aggressive behavior problems than married, stable families. However, questions remain about the mechanisms behind this association that might account for variability in children’s outcomes and across studies. To address this gap, we propose a study with the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data. Using a structural equation model framework, we will test whether changes in family functioning (co-parenting support, father involvement) and economic stress (income, perceptions of economic hardship) explain why changes in family composition are associated with changes in aggressive behavior, and whether there are group differences by marital status. Understanding the consequences of changes in family composition and possible points of intervention will improve program efforts and child wellbeing. One ultimate goal of healthy marriage/relationship and responsible fatherhood programming is to help couples become more stable – both financially and in terms of their relationships – to ultimately improve child wellbeing. Thus, studies that seek to understand the healthy relationship and responsible fatherhood associations with economic stability, family functioning, and child wellbeing help address these important public health concerns.