THE EFFECTS OF CHILDHOOD FAMILY-STRUCTURE ON LEAVING AND RETURNING HOME

We examine the effects of childhood family structure on leaving and re turning home. Using retrospective data from the National Survey of Fam ilies and Households, we develop a competing risks, proportional hazar ds model of linkages among family experiences and the probability of l eaving home very early (ages 15-16) and by given routes (schooling, th e military, marriage, cohabitation, employment, and independence) and of returning home. We find that growing lip in any of a variety of alt ernative family structures decreases the likelihood of leaving home vi a college attendance and of returning home but increases the likelihoo d of leaving early, especially to independence and marriage.