THE EFFECT OF MULTIGENERATIONAL FAMILIES ON CHILD DELINQUENCY OUTCOMES

Abstract

There are many reasons why a family chooses to or is forced to form a multigenerational family. Multigenerational families are becoming more and more common every. Given the increasing trend of this type of family structure, it is important to understand the long-term effects on child outcomes. Considering that living in a multigenerational family has been linked to child delinquency, it is also imperative to understand whether this link exists. This thesis analyses the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data to investigate the relationship between living with a grandmother and child delinquency outcomes. Overall, children who live with a grandmother have an increase in likelihood to be delinquent compared to those who do not live with a grandmother. The effect is stronger when the mother is working and if the grandmother is a bad influence on the child. Since the mechanism through which the grandmother comes to live in the household is unknown, further research needs to be done to fully understand the association between multigenerational families and child delinquency.