Child-headed households are a domestic arrangement encompassing young people living independently without a functioning coresident adult. In the absence of a common definition, some use the term to include not only households with all members under the age 18 years but also households where the head is aged 18–25 years, though the latter are more often referred as to as youth-headed. Households with no adult present (unaccompanied) are often distinguished from those in which adult(s) are present but are terminally ill, disabled, or elderly and thus do not play a significant role in caring for children and running the household (i.e., providing food, clothing, and psychological support; accompanied). Terms such as sibling-headed and junior-headed household are also widely used.

High parental death rates and overstretched extended ...