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Transitions on and off AFDC: implications for parenting and children's cognitive development.
J R Smith1, J Brooks-Gunn, D Kohen
1Graduate School of Social Services, Fordham University, New York, NY 10023, USA. jsmith@fordham.edu
Child Development
|November 9, 2001
Summary
Welfare receipt by mothers negatively impacts parenting and child development. Leaving welfare without escaping poverty can lead to authoritarian parenting, affecting children
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Public Health Policy
- Socioeconomic Studies
Background:
- Welfare reform aims to reduce public assistance dependency, particularly among mothers and children.
- Understanding the long-term effects of welfare receipt on family well-being is crucial for policy development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between mothers' welfare receipt patterns and child outcomes.
- To investigate the relationship between welfare receipt, maternal emotional distress, parenting, and child cognitive development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Infant Health and Development Program, an eight-site randomized clinical trial (N = 833).
- Analyzed mothers' welfare receipt over 3 years post-childbirth.
- Assessed maternal emotional distress (General Health Questionnaire), learning environment (HOME), parenting behavior, and child cognitive scores (Stanford-Binet).
Main Results:
- Significant negative associations were found between welfare receipt and parenting behavior and child outcomes at age 3.
- Outcomes differed based on the timing of welfare receipt and post-welfare poverty status.
- Mothers leaving welfare but remaining in poverty exhibited more authoritarian parenting.
Conclusions:
- Welfare receipt is linked to poorer parenting and child development outcomes.
- Poverty status after leaving welfare is a critical factor influencing parenting styles.
- Findings have implications for designing effective support services for low-income families.