Family conflict more damaging than single parents, study finds
A report by the Children's Society indicates that childhood unhappiness is far likelier to result from family conflicts than from growing up in a single-parent household.
Children who reported that their family "got along well together" were around 20% happier than those who did not, regardless of whether they have a lone parent, or step-families, or live with both birth parents.
The impact of family conflict on children's well-being far outstripped family structure, with a child in a lone parent household 2% unhappier than one living with both birth parents. Researchers interviewed nearly 7,000 children in collaboration with the University of York and found that most placed themselves above the mid-point measure on a happiness scale ranked from one to 10.
The survey, carried out by Ipsos Mori between April and July 2008, asked children to give a score out of 10 on a happiness scale to a series of aspects of their lives. The highest average marks - of nearly nine out of 10 - were given for happiness with home, friends and family. The highest levels of unhappiness were recorded in areas of appearance and confidence, with 17.5% saying they were unhappy with their looks, and 16% unhappy with their confidence. Almost twice as many girls were unhappy with their appearance as boys.
Source: Mental Health Foundation