Changing Family Structure, Maternal-Adolescent Relationships and Indicators of Distress among Teenage Boys and Girls

Amy G. Langenkamp, University of Texas at Austin
Michelle L. Frisco, Iowa State University

We use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to investigate the short term effects of changing family structure on adolescents’ emotional distress, alcohol use, and drug use. We also assess whether or not maternal-adolescent relationships can explain these relationships. Our findings suggest that changes in parents’ marital status are related to our three measures of adolescent distress, but the types of changes that affect our outcomes vary by gender. In addition, while maternal-adolescent relationships have an independent effect on emotional distress, alcohol use, and drug use, they do not appear to mediate or moderate the effects of changing family structure.