Key Takeaways
Family structure explains how a family is set up, including who lives in the home and how each person is connected. Some examples include single parents, blended families, same-sex couples, or grandparents raising their grandchildren.
Family structure affects how a child develops and can influence how they handle changes and build romantic relationships later in life.
You may not be able to change your family structure, but you can control how you take care of yourself within it. You can build a support network, set healthy boundaries, and seek therapy if needed to live a healthier and more balanced life.
Family structures have evolved over time, but the essence of family has stayed the same. A family might be a single parent creating a caring home, a same-sex couple raising kids, or multiple generations living together. Some families are blended, some are chosen, and each one can affect your physical and emotional health in different ways.
The people you live with and the support you receive at home can shape how you handle stress, build relationships, and take care of yourself. Strong family connections can positively impact your mental health, lower stress, and even boost your immune system. Yet ongoing conflict, instability, or lack of support can increase feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and depression.
You may not be able to change your family situation, but you can change how you respond to it. Therapy can help you learn to set boundaries, manage stress, and process your emotions in a healthy way.
Some types of family structures and how they affect our well-being:
1. Multigenerational family
This type of household includes two or more generations living together under one roof. It might mean grandparents, parents, and children sharing the same home, although it can also include other relatives. Over the last decade, multigenerational living has become four times more common, as families try to save money, care for aging relatives, and stay more connected.
Benefits: These families share child care, household chores, and finances. They often have strong cultural traditions, emotional support, and close family bonds.
Challenges: Without healthy communication, emotional tension between adults can lead to stress and conflict relating to harsh versus positive parenting styles.
Potential mental health impacts: While 75% of people say multigenerational living can be stressful at times, 76% also say it’s had a positive effect on their physical and mental health. Living with grandparents has even been shown to support strong brain development in young children — especially from birth to age seven.
2. Nuclear family
Nuclear families are made up of two parents and their biological or adopted children living together. This family structure was most common in the 1950s, but the number of nuclear families has been decreasing.
Benefits: Having a smaller family can allow parents to ensure each child receives more parental attention and educational advantages, which can boost confidence and self-esteem.
Challenges: Without family nearby or a strong support system, parents can feel isolated and overwhelmed. Having only one or two children can also make parents overprotective.
Potential mental health impacts: Constant conflict, stress, or emotional distance between the parents can affect a child’s mental health. A child may feel lonely, anxious, or responsible for keeping the peace.
3. Single-parent family
Single-parent households are more common than ever. According to the U.S. census, more than 15 million children live with a single mother, and over three million live with a single father. Raising a family alone often means being the parent, the provider, and the emotional support system all at once.
Benefits: In a single-parent home, kids can often develop strong independence and problem-solving skills because they take on responsibility at a young age. They may have a close and trusting bond with their parent and become more empathetic if they see their parent working hard to overcome obstacles.
Challenges: Children can also feel responsible for helping their parent financially or emotionally.
Potential mental health impacts: Single parents show incredible strength and resilience, yet they also experience higher levels of stress, depression, and life challenges compared to two-parent households.
4. Chosen family
Although not related by blood or marriage, chosen families are made up of people you intentionally surround yourself with. This can include close friends, partners, members of a faith circle, recovery group, or the LGBTQ+ community, who make you feel safe, loved, and supported.
Benefits: For people who have experienced conflict, rejection, or distance from their biological family, chosen family can provide a deep sense of belonging, unconditional love, and acceptance.
Challenges: Lack of legal and social recognition can make it harder for family members to access rights or resources like hospital visitation, family leave, or shared housing benefits. Because these relationships fall outside traditional family structures, members often have to intentionally define roles, boundaries, and commitments.
Potential mental health impacts: Even though many people feel closer to their chosen family, research shows that support from biological relatives still has a unique emotional impact. For example, for LGBTQ+ people, family acceptance has been linked to lower rates of depression.
5. Childless or child-free family
This type of family includes two committed adults who live together but don’t have children — either by choice or due to circumstances like infertility or health issues.
Benefits: These couples may have more time for their relationship, personal growth, travel, and hobbies, with fewer daily stressors and more financial flexibility.
Challenges: They may face loneliness later in life or pressure from family or society to have children. Some may feel misunderstood in cultures that strongly associate family with parenthood.
Potential mental health impacts: When the choice is intentional and supported, child-free couples can experience strong emotional well-being and deeply fulfilling lives. Those who aren’t childless by choice may face challenges with grief or sense of identity.
6. Blended or step family
A blended family forms when two people marry or live together and bring children from previous relationships into the new household and in some cases, also have children together.
Benefits: Blended families can create a loving and supportive home, but they often need time, patience, and open communication to adjust to new roles.
Challenges: Children may feel torn between loyalty to their biological parent and accepting a new stepparent. Without clear boundaries, misunderstandings or conflict can easily occur. Defining each parent’s role early on helps protect both the children and the couple’s relationship.
Potential mental health impacts: Adults may feel stressed navigating co-parenting and conflict with ex-partners while working to adjust to new family dynamics. This can cause frustration, guilt, and burnout. Kids may experience anxiety, confusion, or behavior changes during the transition.
7. Same-sex family
A same-sex family is a family in which the parents or primary caregivers are of the same gender. This can include two mothers, two fathers, or partners who identify across the LGBTQ+ spectrum raising children together. An estimated 2.6 million LGBTQ+ adults are parenting children younger than the age of 18 in the U.S.
Benefits: Kids raised in same-sex homes often grow up with values rooted in acceptance, empathy, and being true to themselves. These families tend to prioritize open communication and emotional safety.
Challenges: Although social acceptance of same-sex couples has grown, many of these families still face discrimination and stigma. Children may sometimes feel different or worry about being judged by others.
Potential mental health impacts: LGBTQ parents are more likely to be living in poverty compared to LGBTQ non-parents and heterosexual cisgender parents. This doesn’t mean all LGBTQ parents are in poverty, nor that being an LGBTQ parent causes poverty on its own. Rather, the data show a higher risk of economic vulnerability among that group.
8. Grandfamilies
There are over 2.9 million U.S. households with children younger than the age of 18 who are being raised by their grandparents.
Benefits: This type of household can offer children a sense of tradition, wisdom, and strong family values. Their presence can give children a sense of belonging, safety, and tradition.
Challenges: For grandparents living on fixed incomes or retirement savings, the costs of raising children can create ongoing financial strain. Covering essentials like clothing, food, and healthcare often requires difficult sacrifices or dipping into limited savings.
Potential mental health impacts: Caring for young children can be physically demanding — especially for grandparents managing age-related health conditions. The daily routine of school runs, meals, and emotional caretaking often leaves little time for rest or self-care. Over time, this can lead to exhaustion, increased irritability, and worsening of existing health issues.
Every family looks different, and there’s no right way to build or belong to one. Whether you grew up in a nuclear family, a single-parent household, a same-sex family, or a chosen family, each structure brings its own mix of strengths, lessons, and challenges. What matters most isn’t the structure itself but the quality of connection, communication, and care within it.
You may not be able to change your family circumstances, but you can take charge of how you care for yourself within them. Creating a reliable support system, setting clear and respectful boundaries, and reaching out for professional help when needed can make daily life more grounded and fulfilling. With understanding and compassion, it’s possible to grow healthier relationships and create a sense of belonging that truly supports your emotional well-being.
Clinician's take
A common misconception is that nontraditional family structures, like single-parent, same-sex, or blended families, are inherently less stable for children. Research consistently shows that what matters most for children’s emotional development is love, security, and responsive caregiving — not the specific form the family takes.
Find care with Rula
No matter your family structure, families can be complicated because they involve different personalities, emotions, and expectations. People in a family may have different opinions, communication styles, or ways of handling stress. Even when people love each other, misunderstandings and conflict can happen.
Therapy can offer families a safe place to grow closer, fix what isn’t working, and learn how to support each other better. Whether you meet with a therapist individually or with your family, talking to a mental health professional allows you the opportunity to explore your emotions, improve communication, and build healthier ways to connect.
At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best.
Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we're here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.
