Browsing by Author "Brewer, Mackenzie"

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    Collateral Damage? How Household Debt Impacts Child Health and Development
    (2018-04-20) Brewer, Mackenzie; Kimbro, Rachel T
    Debt has increased dramatically over the past few decades among American households. Specifically, unsecured debt, such as debt incurred from credit cards and medical bills, has increased across the socioeconomic spectrum and has risen most rapidly among lower socioeconomic status (SES) households. Yet, very little research has examined whether household indebtedness, as a dimension of SES, is associated with child well-being. To fill this gap, the current study examines whether household debt, by type and amount of debt, is an emerging form of economic stratification associated with children’s health and development. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), the first empirical chapter examines the prevalence of unsecured debt and the profile of borrowers. Results indicate that although households across the socioeconomic spectrum have unsecured debt, the profile of borrowers depends on the specific type of debt accrued. Households with medical debt and higher debt burden are, on average, disadvantaged across a range of social and economic markers. The second empirical chapter uses data from the 2014 Child Development Supplement (CDS-2014) of the PSID and tests whether unsecured debt contributes to food insecurity among lower-income households with children. Medical debt, in particular, emerges as a significant risk factor for food insecurity, while no relationship exists between credit card debt and food insecurity. Moreover, although liquid assets buffer against the harmful effects of medical debt, few households have enough assets to attenuate the risks associated with unpaid medical bills. The third empirical chapter examines whether debt functions as a financial stressor that increases family conflict and children’s behavioral problems. While I find some evidence that debt is related to higher levels of family conflict and child behavior issues, the associations are relatively weak. More research is needed to establish the conditions under which debt influences family relationships and children’s socioemotional well-being. Overall, the findings suggest that debt is an important contributor to child health and development, although the nature of the relationship between debt and child well-being depends on the type of debt accrued, the specific outcome considered, and a household’s broader financial circumstances.
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    Returning to Work, Breastfeeding, and Family Structure: A Portrait of Working Mothers in the U.S.
    (2015-01-08) Brewer, Mackenzie; Kimbro, Rachel T; Bratter, Jenifer; Augustine, Jennifer
    Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (Birth Cohort 2001), this study investigates how the amount of time off from work after childbirth is associated with breastfeeding behavior, and how this association differs by maternal relationship status. Specifically, I observe how a delayed return to work after childbirth is associated with breastfeeding among a nationally representative sample of single, cohabiting and married working mothers. Using logistic regression and predicted probabilities, I find that returning to work after 12 weeks is associated with higher odds of breastfeeding beyond 3 months for married mothers. The amount of leave from work is not significantly associated with the breastfeeding behaviors of single or cohabiting mothers. These findings raise serious concerns about the design of current maternal leave policies, barriers in the workplace that discourage breastfeeding, and the ability of unmarried women to utilize benefits from a delayed to return to work after childbirth.