RECENT STUDIES ON THE FAMILY

                                                                                                                                                                            Vol. IX, No. 4, April 1996

   from the University of Chicago: Data from a nationally representative sample of over 1,700 youths revealed that teenagers in single-parent and stepparent homes faced factors that increased both the probability of first-time marijuana use and elevated the frequency of use among those who had previously tried it.

    from the National Center for Health Statistics: Those white males age 15 and up who are divorced or separated have a 136% higher risk of suicide than those who are married.

   from the University of Tennessee: Having more children is associated with better comparative health for women, but women with stepchildren in their homes suffer from significantly worse physical and mental health than do women without stepchildren in their homes.

   from McGill University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison: In childless marriages the likelihood of divorce is 15% greater than in marriages in which children are present, while couples with children present before their marriage are 50% more likely to experience marital disruption.

   from the journal of Youth and Adolescence: An empty and unsupervised home provides more opportunity for adolescents to experiment sexually. Researchers have found that three out of four sexually experienced teenagers reported using someone’s home for the location of their first sexual experiences. But the researchers also found that 43% of the sexually experienced teenagers in the study wish they had waited before having sex. [Note: Imagine how the percentage of regrets will climb as these teenagers mature. TCP]

   from Johns Hopkins, the University of Chicago, and the London School of Economics and Political Science: Children who watch their parents divorce are especially likely to grow up to be young adults who leave their homes because of friction, cohabit rather than marry, and conceive children out of wedlock.

[Editorial Comment: While the truth of God's Word does not depend upon the work of scholars, here is evidence that objective academic work rightly understood accords with His holy Word. Above reprinted from AFA Journal, April 1996. TCP]