Multiple Partner Fertility and Access to Social Support

Abstract

Social support helps individuals manage problems and make ends meet. However, access to social support varies across groups and by sociodemographic characteristics. Past studies have found that multiple partner fertility is associated with decreased access to social support. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, I expand on these studies by (1) examining both received instrumental support and perceived expressive support, (2) by separately examining social support from maternal kin and paternal kin, and (3) by examining social support available both to mothers and to their children. I find that multiple partner fertility is negatively associated with both instrumental and expressive support from paternal family, but is not associated with support from maternal family. Expanding on previous studies that find decreased access to social support due to multiple partner fertility, my research shows that this finding is driven by decreases in support from paternal kin.