Family Transformations and Well-Being of Children in Quebec

Solene Lardoux, Université de Montréal

Family transformations into single-headed and blended families after separation or divorce may influence the social behavior and well-being of children. Longitudinal data from a quantitative survey: ELDEQ (Longitudinal Survey of Child Development in Quebec) cast light on the association between family transformations and child development (estimated with indicators used in psychology), in particular their social and schooling adjustment. The comparison is made with children whose parents stayed in intact families. At the first wave, in 1998 a total of 2120 children in 2120 households were sampled. The children were about 5 months old and are currently in primary school. A major advantage of ELDEQ is the recording of detailed history of family trajectories from the children’s point of view. Changes in family structure are expected to be negative on household income, particularly in single-headed households. Time spent in economic hardship influence at various levels social behavior of children in Quebec.