The effects of childhood family structure on leaving and returning home

We examine the effects of childhood family structure on leaving and returning home. Using retrospective data from the National Survey of Families and Households, we develop a competing risks, proportional hazards model of linkages among family experiences and the probability of leaving home very early (ages 15-16) and by given routes (schooling, the military, marriage, cohabitation, employment, and independence) and of returning home. We find that growing up in any of a variety of alternative family structures decreases the likelihood of leaving home via college attendance and of returning home but increases the likelihood of leaving early, especially to independence and marriage.