Turbulences in children's lives. Mothers' union histories and multiple transitions after parental separation

Experiencing multiple transitions after a parental separation was identified as an important risk factor for children. We investigate for the first time for Austria, how many transitions (i.e. changes in maternal partnership arrangements) children experience and what determines their number. The analyses are based on the Austrian Fertility and Family Survey 1995/96 and the Generations and Gender Survey 2008/09 using a multinomial logistic regression model. The results show that within eight years after parental separation, about 50% of children experience no new cohabitation or marriage of their mother and about 40% experience exactly one. For the majority of children, these changes happen within four years after their parents' separation. Almost every seventh child with separated parents (13%) experiences multiple transitions. Children with a low-level educated mother and those whose mother is young at the time of separation face a particularly high risk, as well as those living in families with a low age of the youngest child. Moreover, a strong effect of the year of separation could be detected: the probability of experiencing multiple transitions increases strongly over time.