Children's early experiences have potential to shape their development through early childhood, middle childhood, and into adolescence. Family structure at birth and material hardship may offer insight into how children's health and well‐being are shaped within their family of origin. The current paper examined (a) the association between family structure at birth and material hardship 1‐year post‐birth and (b) the differential impact of race on the associations between family structure and material hardship. We further explored the association between family structure and material hardship on self‐reported health in (a) middle childhood and (b) adolescence. Using the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing dataset, an ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions and structural equation path models (SEM) were used to examine associations between family structure, material hardship, and health outcomes (body mass index [BMI], anxiety, and suicidal ideation). Results indicated that family structure predicted material hardship at 1‐year until maternal characteristics were taken into account. Race/ethnicity did not moderate the association. Also, family structure at birth was indirectly associated with youth anxiety through material hardship but did not account for BMI or sucidical ideation. Social supports and state policies should prioritize maternal health access and ensure families are able to meet their basic needs to mitigate children's health risks.

中文翻译：

---

家庭结构和物质困难：儿童和青少年通往健康和福祉的途径


儿童的早期经历有可能影响他们从幼儿期、童年中期到青春期的发展。出生时的家庭结构和物质困难可以帮助我们了解儿童的健康和福祉是如何在其原生家庭中形成的。本论文研究了（a）出生时的家庭结构与出生后一年物质困难之间的关系，以及（b）种族对家庭结构与物质困难之间关系的不同影响。我们进一步探讨了家庭结构和物质困难之间的关系与（a）童年中期和（b）青春期自我报告的健康状况之间的关系。使用家庭的未来和儿童福祉数据集，使用普通最小二乘 (OLS) 回归和结构方程路径模型 (SEM) 来检查家庭结构、物质困难和健康结果（体重指数 [BMI]、焦虑）之间的关联和自杀意念）。结果表明，在考虑母亲特征之前，家庭结构可以预测一年后的物质困难。种族/民族并没有调节这种关联。此外，出生时的家庭结构与青少年因物质困难而产生的焦虑间接相关，但并不能解释体重指数或自杀意念。社会支持和国家政策应优先考虑孕产妇保健服务，并确保家庭能够满足其基本需求，以减轻儿童的健康风险。