Family structure differences in the timing of leaving home: Exploring mediating factors

Eight years of panel data are used in an event history analysis to examine the association between family structure and departure from the parental ho me for over 700 youth. Specifically, we focus on several possible mediators in this relationship (parent-child relationship quality, household work ef forts, psychological efficacy, family income and personal income, peer invo lvement, and one's own childbearing) to determine whether they alter the st rength of family structure as a predictor of home leaving. Single-parent fa mily structure predicts early home leaving for girls, whereas boys face a g reater likelihood of leaving home across all 8 years of observation if they reside with a single parent. Stepfamily structure also predicts daughters' increased home leaving after high school. The variables that reveal the st rongest mediating effects for daughters are having one's own child and doin g more housework, with both increasing the likelihood of early departure. F or sons, the effects of family structure are not substantially mediated by any of the variables under consideration.