Data Alerts

November 3, 2011 A data file from the Year 9 wave of data collection is now available through the Princeton University Office of Population Research Data Archive. STATA, SAS, and SPSS versions of this file can be downloaded and merged with files from previous waves. This new file contains survey data from the core biological mother and father, primary caregiver, child, and teacher interviews, as well as data from the in-home assessments and observations. See our documentation page for more information about these files.

News and Updates

Sign up for our e-newsletter to receive bi-monthly updates on newly published articles featuring the Fragile Families data, as well as data alerts, upcoming conferences, and news about the Study.

As featured by Princeton University, CNN, and US News and World Report, a study analyzing the Fragile Families data found that young girls growing up in home environments characterized by risk factors such as maternal mental illness or substance abuse, violence, housing or food insecurity, or father's incarceration were at increased risk of obesity by age 5. The study is published in the journal Pediatrics.

The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study is highlighted in a Portland Tribune article about women's changing attitudes toward marriage. Ninety-six of 100 single mothers eventually have a serious partner they don't marry. In discussing the findings of the Fragile Families study, Sara McLanahan emphasizes the importance of household stability for child wellbeing.

New Study Resources

Family Taskforce Presentation: A Closer Look At Unmarried Families

Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study Fact Sheet

A recent issue of The Future of Children journal highlights research from the Fragile Families Study and recommends policies for reducing unwanted pregnancies, improving relationship stability and father involvement, and increasing children’s access to such support programs as high-quality health care and early childhood education. The Fall 2010 volume, Fragile Families, can be accessed in full online.

Fragile Families Working Group

Fragile Families Working Group seminars are open to Princeton and Columbia University graduate students and faculty. All seminars take place on Thursdays from 12 to 1 p.m. At Princeton, seminars are located in Wallace Hall, Room 001. Please see the full schedule for Spring 2012 and contact ffdata@princeton.edu for more information.

May 17. "Nonresident Father Involvement, Mother's New Partners, and Childhood Injuries." Presented by Lenna Nepomnyaschy and Louis Donnelly.

Recent Publications

HIGHLIGHTED JOURNAL ARTICLE

The Woodrow Wilson School issued a press release and a brief summary on a recent Fragile Families publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Role of Mother’s Genes and Environment in Postpartum Depression by Colter Mitchell, Daniel Notterman, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, John Hobcraft, Irwin Garfinkel, Kate Jaeger, Iulia Kotenko, & Sara McLanahan.

BOOKS

Childbearing among Cohabiting Women: Race, Pregnancy, and Union Transitions by Daniel T. Lichter In: Early Adulthood in a Family Context by Alan Booth, Susan L. Brown, Nancy S. Landale, Wendy D. Manning, and Susan M. McHale (Eds.)

Family Instability and Complexity after a Nonmarital Birth: Outcomes for Children in Fragile Families by Sara McLanahan In: Social Class and Changing Families in an Unequal America by Marica J. Carlson and Paula England (Eds.)

RESEARCH BRIEFS

December 2011- Brief 47 "Incarceration and Housing Insecurity among Urban Fathers"

WORKING PAPERS

2012-09-FF "Social Support: Identifying Families At-Risk for Homelessness" by Casey L. Fisch and Amy M. Claridge

2012-08-FF "Predictors of Father Involvement Over Time: Impact of Social Support and Abortion Consideration" by Amy M. Claridge and Casey L. Fisch

2012-07-FF "Father Involvement and Mothers' Parenting Stress: The Role of Relationship Status" by Kei M. Nomaguchi, Susan L. Brown, and Tanya M. Leyman