Childhood depression is less than half as prevalent amongst the children of married parents, according to a recent report for the Institute for Family Studies.
Just 3.4% of children ages 6–17 in intact, married households had parent-reported diagnosed depression, compared with 7.9% of children in other family structures.
Depression was most common among children in single-mother households, married stepfamilies, and households with no parent present.
Even after controls for race, income, sex, and parent education, children in non-intact or unmarried-parent households were twice as likely to have a depressive diagnosis.
Lead researcher, Grant Bailey, said the research “underscores the importance of tracking and reporting family structure as a key variable in student well-being”, as otherwise key structural dynamics may be overlooked in baseline data.
