Multigenerational living

Title: Good Things Come in Threes: Single-parent Multigenerational Family Structure and Adolescent Adjustment

Author’s Name: Thomas DeLeire Ariel Kalil

Year: 2001

This case study was researched to integrate into my capstone project for the multi-generational affordable housing community.

"Teenagers living with their single mother and with at least one grandparent in a multigenerational household have developmental outcomes that are at least as good and often better than outcomes of teenagers in married families."

My Findings

Growing up with a single mother is associated with adverse developmental outcomes for children and teenagers. Although most studies compare children in married (i.e., two married, biological parents) to children in non-married families, many single mothers live in a diverse set of arrangements including co-residence with their families of origin (henceforth “multigenerational families”). Single parents account for 28 percent of all households with children according to the 2000 Census (Simmons and O’Neil 2001) and 50 to 60 percent of children born during the 1990s will spend some time living with a single parent, usually their mother. Research has consistently shown that growing up in a single parent family is associated with negative consequences for children. For example, adolescents from disrupted and single-parent homes are more likely to experience lower school achievement and aspirations, increased psychological distress, earlier initiation of substance use and sexual activity, increased vulnerability to health problems, and greater likelihood of engaging in problem behaviours or deviant activities. Another study showed that teenagers who ever lived in a single parent multigenerational family exhibit higher educational attainment than do teenagers living in single mother families with no grandparent present. Among these families, a strong network of relatives energetically contributes to the support of the young mother’s children. Geronimus suggests that this shared pattern of childrearing 6 minimizes the risks to child development associated with poverty, parental unemployment, poor parental physical health, and poor parental mental health. In the developmental psychology literature, a few studies have found positive effects of multigenerational co-residence on the cognitive and emotional development of preschool-age children of teenage mothers

Integration into research

My findings from this case study reveal that providing opportunity for multigenerational living extremely benefits developing children. Having a variety of ages living in this facility gives the opportunity to families to socialize with and explore the minds of all different ages and histories. Although the elders in these facilities may not be related to the other families, making those connections and having those alternate role models will still substantially effect the wellbeing and success of the youth in the space. Providing a socializing area indoors and outdoors give the users opportunity to converse and create connections with all families living in the space.