Family structure, residential mobility, and school dropout: a research note

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Education Policy
• Family Studies

Background:

• A well-established association exists between residing in a nonintact family and increased risk of high school dropout.
• Previous research identified potential mechanisms for school failure in nonintact families, often more applicable to single-parent than stepfamilies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the hypothesis that high residential mobility among nonintact families explains part of the link between family structure and high school dropout.
• To investigate the role of residential mobility as a unifying factor for children in both single-parent and stepfamilies.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of residential mobility rates between children in nonintact (single-parent, stepfamily) and intact (two-parent) families.
• Statistical examination to quantify the proportion of the dropout risk difference attributable to residential mobility.

Main Results:

• Children from single-parent and stepfamilies exhibit higher rates of residential mobility during the school year compared to children from two-parent families.
• Residential mobility accounts for up to 30% of the disparity in dropout risk between children from stepfamilies and intact families.

Conclusions:

• High residential mobility is a significant factor linking nonintact family structures to school dropout, applying to both single-parent and stepfamilies.
• Residential mobility presents a potential target for public policy interventions aimed at supporting vulnerable children and mitigating dropout risks.