Relationship Transitions and Maternal Parenting

2 We use data from the Fragile Families Study (N=1975) to examine the relationship between mothers’ partnership changes and parenting behavior during the first five years of their child’s life. We compare co-residential and dating transitions and recent and more distal transitions. We also examine interactions between transitions and race/ethnicity, maternal education and family structure at birth. Findings indicate that both co-residential and dating transitions are associated with higher levels of maternal stress and harsh parenting, with recent transitions having stronger associations than distal transitions. Maternal education significantly moderates these associations, disadvantaging children of less educated mothers in terms of maternal stress, and children o