Family Structure, Divorce and Parental Conflict as Predictors of Social-Emotional Difficulties in Early Childhood

Children’s outcomes are strongly shaped by family background, including whether they live with both biological parents and the quality of parental relationships. While prior research has examined these factors separately, less is known about their interaction. This study addresses this gap by analyzing how family structure and parental conflict jointly influence young children’s social-emotional development. We use data from the nationally representative, longitudinal Cohort ’18 – Hungarian Birth Cohort Study (2017–2024). The outcome variable is social and emotional difficulties at age 3, measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Key explanatory variables include family structure and parental conflict over time. Bivariate and multivariable regression models were applied, controlling for relevant covariates and estimating relative risks. Results show that children exposed to interparental conflict face the highest risk of social-emotional difficulties, regardless of whether their parents live together. Moreover, children of separated parents with low-conflict relationships are at lower risk than those living with both parents in high-conflict households. These findings indicate that the quality of parental relationships matters more than family structure. Consequently, theories emphasizing functional stability (e.g. emotional security) appear more relevant than those focusing solely on structural stability in early childhood.