<div align="justify">People who grow up in single-parent families have lower levels of wellbeing and life satisfaction in adulthood, a study has found.<br /><br />Researchers from the University of Warwick in the UK found that individuals who were brought up by a single parent for their entire childhood earn on average 30 percent less and are more likely to be unemployed.<br /><br />Furthermore, on average they are nine percent less likely to be in a romantic relationship and had a smaller number of friends.<br /><br />In a study of over 24,000 adults aged 18-66, the researchers identified 641 individuals who spent their entire childhood with a single parent and 1,539 who spent part of their childhood with a single parent.<br /><br />The sample group was asked how satisfied they are with life in general, using an 11-point scale - ranging from zero (completely dissatisfied) to ten (completely satisfied). They were also asked who they lived with for the first fifteen years of their life.<br /><br />The researchers analysed the participants' annual income, the number of visits to the doctor, level of social integration, and success in romantic relationships.<br /><br />After accounting for childhood socio-economic circumstances, the differences in life satisfaction were relatively small.<br /><br />Those who grew up with a single parent for their entire childhood were about 0.2 points lower on the scale ranging from 0 to 10 than those who were brought up by both parents - and 0.1 points lower than those who experienced parental separation during childhood.<br /><br />"These findings suggest that both parents still provide important resources even when children have already grown up and left their parent's home," said Sakari Lemola from the University of Warwick.<br /><br />"During young adulthood, these resources may include financial support as well as access to social networks, which is important to find a good job," said Lemola.<br /><br />"Children who had grown up with a single parent for their entire childhood are less likely to know their second parent well and to receive such support during adult life," he said.<br /><br />Single parenthood is increasingly common in Western societies, with 20 per cent of children in Germany and 24 per cent in the UK currently being raised in single-parent households - more than 80 percent of those in households headed by single mothers. <br /></div>
<div align="justify">People who grow up in single-parent families have lower levels of wellbeing and life satisfaction in adulthood, a study has found.<br /><br />Researchers from the University of Warwick in the UK found that individuals who were brought up by a single parent for their entire childhood earn on average 30 percent less and are more likely to be unemployed.<br /><br />Furthermore, on average they are nine percent less likely to be in a romantic relationship and had a smaller number of friends.<br /><br />In a study of over 24,000 adults aged 18-66, the researchers identified 641 individuals who spent their entire childhood with a single parent and 1,539 who spent part of their childhood with a single parent.<br /><br />The sample group was asked how satisfied they are with life in general, using an 11-point scale - ranging from zero (completely dissatisfied) to ten (completely satisfied). They were also asked who they lived with for the first fifteen years of their life.<br /><br />The researchers analysed the participants' annual income, the number of visits to the doctor, level of social integration, and success in romantic relationships.<br /><br />After accounting for childhood socio-economic circumstances, the differences in life satisfaction were relatively small.<br /><br />Those who grew up with a single parent for their entire childhood were about 0.2 points lower on the scale ranging from 0 to 10 than those who were brought up by both parents - and 0.1 points lower than those who experienced parental separation during childhood.<br /><br />"These findings suggest that both parents still provide important resources even when children have already grown up and left their parent's home," said Sakari Lemola from the University of Warwick.<br /><br />"During young adulthood, these resources may include financial support as well as access to social networks, which is important to find a good job," said Lemola.<br /><br />"Children who had grown up with a single parent for their entire childhood are less likely to know their second parent well and to receive such support during adult life," he said.<br /><br />Single parenthood is increasingly common in Western societies, with 20 per cent of children in Germany and 24 per cent in the UK currently being raised in single-parent households - more than 80 percent of those in households headed by single mothers. <br /></div>