Is Father Instability Always Bad for Daughters? The Relationship between Father Churning and Adolescent Depression

Daphne C. Hernandez, University of Houston
Emily Pressler, Pennsylvania State University
Cassandra J. Dorius, Iowa State University

Research indicates that father absence and family instability during childhood are associated with long-term mental health problems, especially for daughters. An emerging literature finds that men classified as resident or non-resident partners at a single point in time may actually be “churners”, individuals who cycle in-and-out of the home due to breaking up and repartnering with the same partner. The proposed paper provides the first national estimates of the proportion of youth who experienced churning from birth to age 18, and tests whether paternal churning is associated with adolescent depression. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and the Young Adults files (n = 3, 891), results suggest that churning is more beneficial than harmful among girls, but not boys. Adolescent females exposed to churning have 45% lower odds of experiencing elevated depressive symptoms. Implications will be discussed in light of family policies and mental health prevention.