Family Boundary Ambiguity and the Measurement of Family Structure: The Significance of Cohabitation

Susan L. Brown, Bowling Green State University
Wendy D. Manning, Bowling Green State University

Using data from the first wave of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we examine family boundary ambiguity in adolescent and mother reports of family structure. The greater the family complexity, the more likely adolescent and mother reports of family structure were discrepant. This discrepancy was most pronounced for cohabiting stepfamilies. Among mothers who reported living with a cohabiting partner, only one-third of their teenage children also reported residing in a cohabiting stepfamily. For adolescents who reported their family structure as a cohabiting stepfamily, two-thirds of their mothers agreed. The distribution of adolescents across family structures varies according to whether adolescent, mother, or combined reports are used. Moreover, the relationship between family structure and family processes tied to adolescent well-being differed depending on whose reports of family structure are used. This large discrepancy presents an important measurement problem for family scholars.