Differences between father-absent and father-present samples were not large. Although study quality was not the best predictor of outcome, the best-quality studies produced nonsignificant estimates of effect size. Most effect-size estimates were less than .5; many were much smaller. (RH)

Discusses the claim that little has been done by health, social work, and educational professionals to speak up about the fact that children born out-of-wedlock lack the economic and psychological benefits that attach to the right to legal paternity. (RWB)

The intent of this study was to investigate cognitive performance among Head Start children and to draw implications from such performance to increase understanding of the educational needs of Head Start children from families headed by unwed-mothers. Specific questions addressed whether cognitive performance among Head Start children differed on…

Since imaginative play has been found to be related to multiple social and cognitive skills, it is important to explore possible family variables that are significantly related to such behavior. The purpose of the study was to examine the level of imaginative and social play of children in relation to three family issues: (a) family structure…

Although self-reports from individual family members regarding their relationship patterns have been used to assess dysfunctional family processes, researchers often rely upon one family member as the source of such information. A study was undertaken to examine the relationship between mothers', fathers', adolescents', and observers' ratings of…

The absence of fathers during World War II had differing effects on the development of identity in boys and girls. Articles and research of the era discussed boys' separation from their fathers but largely failed to address daughters' loss of paternal influence. Evidence suggests that for both boys and girls, the problem was not primarily the…

This paper compares the characteristics of those experiencing short spells of low income with those having longer spells. Data from the 1984 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) was examined. It was found that short spells--less than six months--are quite common, and make up a substantial proportion of all poverty spells.…

Current thought about the effects of single-parenting on children's sex-role development has supported (1) the traditional view that being raised in a single-parent home is deleterious to the well-being of children; (2) the conditional view noting that differences exist between children in father-absent and father-present homes (but only in…

Women who must raise their children alone and who are in the labor market have been found to have high levels of stress. Existing data from 318 black, single, employed women with full custody of their children were examined with regard to their work patterns, possible conflicts with their families and their work, and the strategies that they used…

Critical assumptions affecting the design of research and intervention for single-parent, mother-headed families of handicapped children involve: extent of father involvement; contribution to child-rearing of persons other than parents; socioeconomic differences between one-parent and two-parent families; heterogeneity of single-parent families;…

Although the events associated with divorce can have negative effects on children who are involved, child maladjustment is not the inevitable consequence of divorce. To investigate the factors which may account for observed variation in children's response to divorce, 46 elementary school children (22 boys, 24 girls), residing with their mothers,…

Eight papers presented at a 1-day conference on poverty in Wisconsin are collected in this volume. The first six papers focus on poverty within the state and its effects on particular groups such as women, racial minorities, the elderly, and those in rural areas. The last two papers examine these findings in light of current poverty programs and…

This report presents child-based data from the March 1983, Current Population Survey. The data have been reorganized from their usual form which is as information on households, families, or individual adults, to data with children as the unit of analysis. The primary focus of the report is on children's living arrangements: what kinds of families…

The number of single-parent families has increased dramatically. These families are subject to extreme economic problems and thus are in special need of career development and vocational preparation. Displaced homemakers are at a disadvantage inasmuch as they must reenter the work force; moreover, they face the additional career development…

A meta-analysis was conducted of 137 studies investigating the effects of father absence due to employment, military service, death, divorce, separation, or desertion on children's cognitive performance as assessed by scores on standardized intelligence, scholastic aptitude, and academic achievement tests and school grades. Aggregation of the…