Research Report Disconnected Mothers and the Well-Being of Children: A Research Report
Olivia Golden, Marla McDaniel, Pamela J. Loprest, Alexandra Stanczyk
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Considerable research attention has been devoted to low-income mothers disconnected from both work and welfare. This body of work has rarely highlighted disconnected mothers' roles as parents and has remained virtually silent about the experiences and well-being of their children. This paper synthesizes research findings to show that many of the circumstances disconnected mothers face pose major risks to children's development and potentially serious consequences for children. We describe potential interventions to help disconnected families by increasing and stabilizing family income, enhancing parenting skills, supporting children directly, and reaching out to disconnected mothers who are not citizens.
Research Areas Families Social safety net Children and youth
Tags Children's health and development Economic well-being
Policy Centers Income and Benefits Policy Center