The More Things Change...Single Parenting Revisited

Weinraub and Wolf investigated maternal and preschool child functioning in households headed by solo mothers. Solo mothers—nonadolescent women raising children from birth without a male partner—differed from demographically matched, married counterparts with regard to stress and social supports, yet no differences in child outcomes were observed. Twenty-eight families (70%) from that original sample were reassessed as children entered preadolescence. Child measures included maternal and teacher report of behavior problems, social competence, and academic performance. Maternal measures included parenting, social supports, and stress. According to teachers, preadolescent children of solo mothers had more behavior problems, lower social competence, and poorer school performance than children of married mothers. Solo mothers continued to be less satisfied with emotional supports and reported higher stress. Maternal stress moderated family status effects on child outcome. Longitudinal analyses revealed stability over time for maternal and child variables, with greater vulnerability for children of solo mothers.