RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A Sibling Study of Stepchild Well-being
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 248
OP 276
DO 10.3368/jhr.XXXIX.1.248
VO XXXIX
IS 1
A1 Eirik Evenhouse
A1 Siobhan Reilly
YR 2004
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/XXXIX/1/248.abstract
AB Examining 33 indicators of well-being from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we conclude that stepchildren’ s inferior outcomes are not entirely explained by sample selection. Using sibling comparisons to control for unobserved family characteristics, we identify stepparent effects by comparing half-siblings in families in which one child has both parents and the other a parent and stepparent. Most estimated effects retain their sign after differencing across siblings, and a third remain statistically significant. The estimates’ sensitivity to the choice of indicator suggests that studies based on a single measure of child wellbeing may be misleading.