Exploring Family & Parent Relationships using NLSY97 Data

1. Family and Parent Relationships in the NLSY97RT Michael and AR Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago NLS User Workshop Columbus, Ohio July 2007

2. Scope of this topic/session • Family and parent relationships • Does not include key family relationships addressed elsewhere: marriage/cohabitation and fertility/children • Touches briefly on household composition • Focused on the NLSY97, brief discussion of contrasts with other NLS data sets, even briefer comparisons with non-NLS data sets NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

3. NLSY97 Family and Parent Relationship Data can support analyses of: • Family as the topic of interest • Family as a determinant or mediator of other outcomes • Family as an independent control variable when studying other topics NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

4. Who is a parent? What is a family? • NLSY97 has taken an inclusive and detailed approach to collecting family and parent data • Data are available about: • Parents: biological, adopted, step, foster, grandparents who are primary custodians, etc. • Family: people you live with, biological parents and siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings, step-parents NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

5. Exercise #1: Defining family • [See handout.] • Any NLSY97 project on family and parent relationships needs to grapple with what codes to use to define families and parents. • Looking at the 1999 household roster, determine which youth you would classify as living in two-parent households, one-parent households, or independently. Do all youths fit into one of these categories? NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

6. Types of Data about Families/Parents • Family composition • Dynamics of family composition • Family behaviors (co-residence, communication, migration) • Family relationships (quality, activities, subjective assessment) • Attitudes and expectations about families NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

7. Sources of Family/Parent data in the NLSY97 • Household Screener • Youth Interview • Household Information, Childhood Retrospective, Self-Administered Questionnaire • Schooling, Income, Assets, Health, Child Care • Parent Interview • Family Background, Calendar, SAQ, & “About Youth Info” • Created variables from Youth Interview • Siblings in the sample NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

8. Household Screener • Rostered: • All members of HH from which youth was selected • The following people if non-resident: • Biological parents of youth • Full and half-siblings of youth (living and deceased) • Anyone co-resident with the youth’s biological parents • Youth’s biological children, spouses • For all of these people, captured their relationship to youth, and basic demographic characteristics such as race, ethnicity, age, education, gender NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

9. Youth Interview • HHI, CHR, SAQ sections • SCH (college finance), INC (allowances and gifts), AST (inheritances and loans), CCA (childcare provided by Rs parents), HEA (major events: parent’s death or divorce), migration NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

10. Exercise #2: Using the Self-Administered data on parent-youth relationships • Compare data for different types of mothers (biological, adoptive, step, foster, other?) on the 1999 item ‘I think highly of [my mother figure].’ NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

11. YSAQ-002 R34825.00 ([age as of 12/31/96] <= 14); /* R's age on Dec 31, 1996 was less than or equal to 14 */ 1 CONDITION APPLIES (Go to YSAQ-003) Go To: YSAQ-055 YSAQ-013 R34832.00 ([R lives with mother] >= 1); /* R lives with mother or mother figure */ 1 CONDITION APPLIES (Go to YSAQ-017) Go To: YSAQ-034 YSAQ-017 Please tell us whether you strongly disagree, disagree, are neutral, agree, or strongly agree with the following statements about the person referred to below. ([mother or mother figure]) YSAQ-018 R34833.00 I think highly of her. 0 STRONGLY DISAGREE 3 AGREE 1 DISAGREE 4 STRONGLY AGREE 2 NEUTRAL OR MIXED NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

12. Parent Interview • Completed by a co-resident parent of the youth (preferred mothers); one parent could respond for multiple youths • Completed for 87% of youths in sample • Covers child’s early schooling and residence experience, and health • Covers responding parent’s background/employment history/marital history, background of child’s biological parents, expectations for child NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

13. Created Variables • Family process • Distances between parents and youth and prior addresses • Characteristics of youth’s biological mother and father (e.g., education, age at first marriage) NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

14. Siblings in the survey • Forty-five percent of NLSY97 youths (n=4035) have a sibling in the survey sample. Together, there are 2511 pairs of siblings in the data • Use variable ‘R1193000 SIDCODE 1997’ to identify siblings. NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

15. Exercise #2: Examining a single case • Tracing through the Parent Interview, the Childhood Retrospective, and any other relevant parts of the Youth Interviews, describe the youth's co-residence with parents and parent figures from age 0 to 14, and determine what 'mother figure' the R spent the most time with between the ages of 0 and 14. NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago

16. Comparison with C/YA of NLSY79 • NLSY97 • Limited differentiating between co- and non-resident parents; also non-parent adults (e.g., mom’s partner) • Symmetrical (to mothers) information about youths’ fathers, especially non-coresident or estranged • Behavioral dimensions of youth-parent relationship (migration, co-residence,etc.) • Child/Young Adult of the NLSY • Extensive data on qualitative dimensions of youth-parent relationship • Unparalleled data on mothers (NLSY79 youth) • Prospective information on early childhood and pre-adolescence NLS User Workshop 2007 -- Michael and Datta, NORC at the University of Chicago