When Home Changes, Support Shifts: What Research Can Tell Us About Mothers and Why Support Matters

A recent study published in Family Relations found that household structure composition and residential stability are factors that influence mothers’ perceptions of available supports. Data used from the Future of Families and Child Well-being, a national dataset following almost 5,000 families (mothers, fathers, and their children) from the child’s birth through young adulthood and beyond.

The study, by Drs. John Moore and Melissa Radey of the FSU College of Social Work, showed that mothers’ sense of support changes over their children’s development and household conditions, including who is living in the household and how frequently the family moves, shape mothers’ perceptions of support.

Although most mothers felt that they had access to emergency financial assistance, housing, and emergency childcare, a substantial minority (about 15% at their child’s birth, increasing to 20-25% at later time points) did not perceive access to support. "Mothers were more likely to perceive support from family or friends when children were first born," Dr. Radey explained, "but study results suggest that support commonly declined in the first year after birth. The observed post-birth decline in perceived support stabilized and persisted throughout adolescence.” These findings may reflect cultural norms that suggest mothers can turn to others following the birth of a child without the stigma that may occur when their children age.

"Living arrangement played a significant role when it came to shaping perceptions of support," Dr. Radey described. Mothers living alone were less likely to perceive support, while mothers living with other adults had a higher likelihood of perceiving support, but this protective factor weakened over time. Only mothers living in nuclear-family households with a partner reported an increase in support over time.

Another key finding was that frequent residential moves were associated with lower perceived support. However, this relationship was weaker among mothers who also experienced more changes in their living arrangements. "These findings suggest that instability is complex, as changes in living arrangement may have less of an impact on perceived support for mothers who moved frequently," expanded Dr. Moore. "Overall, the relationship between household instability and support is nuanced. Timing and context of changes as well as the quality of relationships matter for the families involved.”

Perceived support is important, linked to factors such as mental health, economic stability, and well-being. "The absence of support makes families more susceptible to stress and hardship. In addition, lacking support disadvantages children’s development," added Dr. Moore.

Considering complex factors that impact families, such as context and timing, can inform future research and policy to improve access to resources and public assistance. “More research is needed to determine how to best target and time resources to families who can benefit most,” stated Dr. Radey.

Dr. Radey and Dr. Moore are expanding on this work by investigating how living arrangement structure, living arrangement stability, and residential stability impact substance use initiation in adolescence and substance use severity in early adulthood. “The key objective of this research is to examine how living arrangements and residential changes at critical developmental time points are related to substance use behaviors as children age into adolescence and early adulthood,” stated Dr. Moore.