Alfred L. Joseph

Stressors and Coping Strategies Used by Single Mothers Living in Poverty

The voices of the poor are ignored in policy debates and in social work research, practice, and the development of interventions. This article reviews the literature on stress and coping for single mothers in the context of poverty and uses narrative interviews to capture the lived experiences of 12 women who raised their children alone. The results showed that these single mothers’ stress and coping experiences tend to reflect the findings of research except that the low-income women in the study relieved stress and empowered themselves through volunteer work with other low-income individuals. The implications for social work education and practice are discussed.

Social Policies and Families Through an Ecological Lens

Since the last Handbook was published a decade ago, the United States has experienced numerous challenges—all of which have social policy consequences for families. Perhaps the most profound issues to date are the two wars waged after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the ensuing economic downturn. The banking industry’s misuse of subprime loans, the bursting housing bubble, and the resulting foreclosures across the United States have also left many families economically insecure. Moreover, due to the dismantling of federal social safety nets, many families have been left to fend for themselves during a time when unemployment rates have been on the rise. Needless to say, there is great unease as we write this chapter and consider the ways social policies affect families.