FR 1-9
12/11
Prepared by:
Desiray Daugherty, B.S.
HDFS-MFT Graduate Student desiray@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University
Michael J. Merten, Ph.D. Carolyn S. Henry, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, HDFS Professor, HDFS michael.merten@okstate.edu
carolyn.henry@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078 Tulsa, OK 74106 Stillwater, OK 74078
Merten, M. J. & Henry, C. S. (2011). Family structure, mother-daughter relationship quality, race and ethnicity, and adolescent girls’ health risks. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage , 52(3), 164-186. doi:
10.1080/10502556.2011.556966
IMPLICATIONS FOR COOPERATIVE
EXTENSION: Research findings for this study show that health risks for adolescent girls vary on a combination of family structure, motherdaughter relationship quality, and race or ethnicity. More specifically, the risk for both precocious events (early entry into adult roles) and depressive symptoms are higher for adolescent girls living in family structures other than mother-father families. However, adolescent girls who perceive their relationships with their mother to be close and supportive are afforded protection again both precocious events and depressive symptoms. Thus, emphasis is needed on developing quality relationships between mothers and daughters when working with adolescent girls who are displaying precocious events and/or depressive symptoms to promote positive change in behaviors.
Culturally sensitive parent education can help address this need.
Overview:
In general adolescent girls are at a higher risk than their male counterparts to display precocious events (early entry into adult roles) and depressive symptoms. Past research has shown that family structure, perceived mother-daughter relationship quality, and race and ethnicity all have been found to give explanation for the variation of adolescents’ risks for early entry into adult specific positions and depressive symptoms. However, it is interesting to note that these are very rarely considered within the same study. Therefore this research advances findings on adolescent girls’ risks for precocious events and depressive symptoms. The advancement is developed in four ways. First, this study is gender specific in that it only includes female participants. This helps to explore a variation within girls instead of comparing and contrasting with boys. Second, this study of family structure was based on the mothers’ residential status since youth report greater involvement with this particular parent.
Third, when the researchers looked at precocious events they included multiple aspects which allowed for consideration of how cumulative behavioral risk is associated with depressive risk. Lastly, the researchers we able to examine if there were any racial differences among white,
Hispanic, and African American adolescent girls in regards to family structure, mother-daughter relationship quality, and girls’ health risks.
Research has shown that adolescent girls report displaying precocious events more often than males. The precocious events included early sexual intercourse, full-time employment, early marriage, cohabitation, or becoming pregnant and components of these are related to increased social, educational, economic,

socioemotional, and health risks. Furthermore, there is past evidence that depressive symptoms tend to be more severe and persistent with girls than boys.
Research on family structure and adolescent health risks has shown that adolescents who live in mother-father homes are at least risk for early entry into adult roles and adolescent girls in single mother families are at an increased risk for certain precocious events.
A quality relationship with a significant adult as shown to serve as a protective process for youth as evidenced by past research. More specifically, mother-daughter relationships that are perceived as pleasing are associated with reduced risk for selected aspects of precocious events.
When looking at past research on various racial backgrounds for this area of concern, it was shown that both African
American and Hispanic youth are at a higher risk for precocious events than White youth. In addition, Hispanic girls reported higher frequency of depressive moods than both
African American and White girls.
Method:
Sample: For the current study data from the
National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent
Health (ADD Health) was used. There was
7,114 participants used in this study with an age range of 11 to 18 ( M = 15.5). Ethnicity/Race:
White 60%; African American 24%; Hispanic
16%. Less than 12% of mothers reported completing less than a high school education.
There were 23% households that reported income below the poverty line.
Data for ADD health was collected by home interviews of the adolescences and parents.
Information obtained included a range of health and lifestyle answers. This sample was stratified by region, urbanicity, school type, racial composition, and size to ensure diversity in the sample. (Further information on ADD Health can be accessed at http://www.cpc.unc.eduprojects-adhealth)
Measures: Adolescent depressive symptoms were measured by means of 19 items found on the Center for Epistemological Studies
Depression Scale (CES-D). This assessed feelings of personal distress, a sense of failure, changes in eating patterns, or related psychosocial disturbances by having participants rate these items on a likert scale.
Adolescent precocious events were assessed using a measure established by Wickerama et al.
(2005) who used the Add Health data. The adolescents were to respond with the code 0 (no) or 1 (yes) as the whether they had experienced the following: first sexual intercourse, pregnancy, cohabitation, or marriage, dropping out of high school, and full-time employment.
To measure adolescents’ perceptions of motherdaughter relationship quality, they were asked to answer seven items that assessed the warmth, closeness, communication, and overall satisfaction in relationships with their mothers.
Family structure was measured by a series of questions that asked the adolescent girls and parents about household members and relationships among members. They were identified as falling within one of the four categories: biological mother-biological father family, biological mother-stepfather family, biological single mother family, or nonresident biological mother involved in the adolescent girl’s life.
Race and ethnicity was measured by self-report from the adolescent girls. In addition, community disadvantage was measure by summing four items from the 1990 census data and family disadvantage was measured by parents’ report of the level of economic disadvantage of the adolescent’s family on a five item scale.
Results: For this study there were multiple things found. First, in regards to precocious events, adolescent girls who lived in motherstepfather families showed, single mother families, or nonresident mother families were significantly associated with an increase in precocious events as compared to girls who lived in mother-father families. In addition, when the young girls perceived higher motherdaughter relationship quality this was associated with a decrease in the number of precocious

events. African American girls reported higher incidence of precocious events than White girls.
Furthermore, community disadvantage and family disadvantage was associated with an increase in precocious events for adolescent girls. Next, when looking at two and three way interactions, the study found living in single mother families was associated with a significant increase in precocious events for
White girls. In Hispanic girls, living in a nonresidential mother family was associated with an increase in precocious events. High mother daughter relationship quality in Hispanic girls residing in single- mother families was associated with fewer precocious events than
White girls.
In regards to depressive symptoms, this study found that residing in mother-stepfather, single mother, and nonresident mother families all reported an increase in depressive symptoms as compared to girls living in mother-father families. Girls who perceived their motherdaughter relationship quality highly was associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms. African American girls and Hispanic girls reported a high frequency of depressive symptoms than White girls. Family level disadvantage was associated with an increase in depressive symptoms however community disadvantage was not. Furthermore, looking at two and three way interactions, results showed that among girls in mother-stepfather families there is a significant variation of depressive symptoms between African American girls and
White girls regardless of the mother-daughter relationship quality. However, in mother-father families when mother-daughter relationship quality were high there were no significant differences in depressive symptoms between
African American and White girls. Interestingly,
Hispanic girls who resided in a single mother family with low mother-daughter relationship quality have significant increase in depressive symptoms than white girls who live in single mother families with low mother-daughter quality.
Discussion:
Results of this study showed that risk for both precocious events and depressive symptoms are higher for adolescent girls living family structures other than mother-father families.
Furthermore, adolescent girls who have a high perception of their mother-daughter relationship and see it as close and supportive are afforded protection against both precocious events and depressive symptoms. Compared with White girls, African American and Hispanic girls were at a higher risk of precious and depressive symptoms.