Examined three data sets to explore assumptions about custodial fathers: there are few father-only families, most custodial fathers have remarried, many single fathers are widowers, custodial fathers have high incomes, and fathers primarily receive custody of older boys. Concluded that many assumptions are untrue and that child support policies…

Used data from National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to examine whether effects of nonresident father involvement on child well-being varied by race, mother's education, or whether child was born within or outside marriage. Results showed few interactive effects and no identifiable set of conditions emerged that increased or reduced importance of…

Examines five-year compliance patterns among Wisconsin child support cases that came to court in 1986 to 1998. Compliance during the first year provides some indication of long-term compliance, but half of fathers change their compliance rate over the period. Differences between divorced and unmarried fathers are discussed. (Author/MKA)

Psychological and systemic variables affecting Black single-parent families were studied. An attempt was made to describe some of the forces that maintain or impede the functioning of the Black single-parent family. (Author)

Examines data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to compare family experiences of Black and White children born in 1950-1954 with children born in 1980. Discusses one-parent households and proportion of children's lives spent in various family types. Suggests children's experience depends on famly type at birth. (NRB)

Indicates that the increase in female-headed households was accounted for by childless women who are ineligible for public assistance benefits. Although the public assistance system has become more generous, a married woman who becomes a female head can expect a substantial drop in her economic level. (Author)

Examines the likelihood of extended joblessness for breadwinners unemployed during the recession of 1975. Women who head families are more likely to be unemployed for an extended period than are male breadwinners. Family heads with young children are more likely to be unemployed than those with older families. (Author/BEF)

Cites literature supporting view that as adults, children from single-parent families have less success in school, lower earnings, and lower occupational prestige than children from intact, two-parent families. Proposes that one reason why children from one-parent families achieve less as adults is that they lack exposure to hierarchical models of…

Examined relationships between child physical abuse and child neglect and five fertility patterns (family size, spacing, mother's age at first birth, number of fathers, family planning status of children). Data from 237 urban, single mothers who maltreated their children showed that both types of maltreatment were associated with fertility…

A study of parent-absent families in which a mapping sentence is presented which distinguishes between six facets concerning the nature of the absence and two facets which relate to its effects. On the basis of these concepts comparative studies can be conducted and findings generalized. (Author)

Examined effects of several predictors of father involvement in large sample of single-parent, teenage mother families (N=289). The results of telephone interviews indicated that work behavior of absent fathers had a significant direct effect on participation in childrearing and that minority mothers reported higher rates of paternal involvement.…

Compared and contrasted relative strength of two different theoretical explanations, individualist and microstructural, for apparent sex differences in parent-child relationships. Tested strength of each perspective empirically through comparisons of single-custodial mothers and single-custodial fathers. Findings suggest importance of…

Analyzing data from 1,033 African American mothers, results indicate that household income, time on Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), and number of children are the strongest predictor of nonmarriage. The conclusions support previous findings that never-married mothers suffer more economic hardship than formerly married mothers. (JPS)

Using the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale to measure self-concept, and self-reports for family structure and family conflict, no significant differences in self-concept scores of children from intact, single-parent, reconstituted, or other types of families were found. Self-concept scores were significantly lower for children reporting…

It is proposed that a high degree of psychological father presence, when incongruent with reality and if persistent over time, is negatively related to family functionality. Correlational analysis reveals significant covariance between family functionality and psychological father presence, operating in a negative direction, as proposed. (Author)