Anastasia R. Snyder

Female‐Headed Families and Poverty in Rural America*

Abstract  Employing data from the 1980, 1990, and 2000 March supplements of the Current Population Surveys, this study examines changing household and family structure in metro and nonmetro areas and corresponding changes in poverty, emphasizing female-headed families with children under age 18. We also pay particular attention to the structure and economic conditions of subfamilies with children during this period. Household and family structure in suburban metro and nonmetro areas were quite similar by 2000. In contrast, families and households in nonmetro and metro central city areas were similar in their high prevalence of poverty. Finally, the risk of female-headed families and subfamilies with children living in poverty is highest for nonmetro residents, and their individual characteristics suppress rather than account for this disadvantage. This pattern persisted across the decades studied, despite economic growth during the 1990s.

Household Composition and Poverty among Female-Headed Households with Children: Differences by Race and Residence*

We examine race and residential variation in the prevalence of female-headed households with children and how household composition is associated with several key economic well-being outcomes using data from the 2000 5% Public Use Microdata Sample of the U.S. Census. Special attention is paid to cohabiting female-headed households with children and those that are headed by a single grandmother caring for at least one grandchild, because these are becoming more common living arrangements among female-headed households with children. We find that in 2000: (1) cohabiting and grandmother female-headed households with children comprised over one-fourth of all female-headed households with children, (2) household poverty is highest for female-headed households with children that do not have other adult household earners, (3) earned income from other household members lifts many cohabiting and grandparental female-headed households out of poverty, as does retirement and Social Security income for grandmother headed households, and (4) poverty is highest among racial/ethnic minorities and for female-headed households with children in nonmetro compared to central cities and suburban areas. The steady rise in female-headed households and in the number of children living in female-headed households (Casper and Bianchi 2002) has important life course implications for recent cohorts of women and children. About half of all women will experience single motherhood at some point in their lifetimes (Moffitt and Rendall 1995), and a majority of children will live in a female-headed household (Graefe and Lichter 1999). High poverty rates among female headed households with children, when compared with other household types,

Children in Single-Father Families in Demographic Perspective

The purpose of this article is to examine the other (much more neglected) single-parent family type: those single-parent families headed by fathers. We use specially constructed child files from the 1960-1990 Public Use Microdata Samples data from the Census of Population to address two general questions: (a) To what extent has both the likelihood and the demographic characteristics of these families changed over time? (b) What are the consequences for children of living in different kinds of father-only families? We find that single-father families are comparatively rare, but increasing rapidly, especially since 1980. Increasingly, these families are formed by fathers who are young, never married, with low incomes, and fewer children. Analysis of the 1990 data reveal wide diversity in living arrangements among children in single-father families. Furthermore, the social capital of childrens fathers, the availability of adults, and childrens economic well-being vary markedly across these types of families.

Residential differences in family formation: The significance of cohabitation

Abstract  We update and extend prior research on residential differences in womens family formation experiences using data from the 1995 cycle of the National Survey of Family Growth. Residential differences in the timing of family formation behaviors are examined, including first birth, first cohabitation, and first marriage. Our study emphasizes the significance of cohabitation, estimating the effect of geographic residence on type of union formation (i.e., cohabitation versus marriage) and relationship context of first birth (i.e., cohabiting, married, or single). We find that (1) the timing of family formation behaviors, including marriage and childbearing, differs by residence; (2) nonmetro women are more likely to enter marriage and marry at younger ages than their metro counterparts; and (3) when marriage and cohabitation are presented as competing risks, nonmetro women are more likely to marry than cohabit both as a first union and a first birth context.

The Role of Contemporary Family Behaviors in Nonmarital Conception Outcomes of Nonmetro Women: Comments on Albrecht and Albrecht (2004)*

Recent research by Albrecht and Albrecht (2004) on nonmarital conception outcomes is extended using data from the 1995 cycle of the National Survey of Family Growth. Residential differences in nonmarital conception outcomes are examined, including nonmarital conception, live birth outcomes, and marital status at birth following a nonmarital conception. Analyses emphasize the role of more contemporary family behaviors in conception outcomes and the importance of distinguishing suburban-metro from central city-metro residence in studies that emphasize residential variation in family outcomes. Findings are that (1) nonmetro women have retained more traditional family behavior with regards to marriage following a nonmarital conception, (2) nonmetro and suburban women, however, have equally traditional family patterns and behaviors on many of the outcomes of interest, and (3) it is important to include contemporary family behaviors, such as nonmarital cohabitation, in studies that evaluate traditional family behavior among nonmetro populations.

Longitudinal predictors of homelessness: findings from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-97

Homeless youth represent a vulnerable and understudied population. Little research has prospectively identified factors that may place youth at risk for experiencing homelessness. The current study utilizes data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-97 (NLSY-97) to examine predictors of experiencing homelessness as a young adult (before age 25). The NLSY-97 includes a nationally representative sample of 8984 youth. Data were first collected from these youth when they were between the ages of 12 and 18 years. The current study examined whether individual and family risk factors reported during adolescence predict homelessness by the age of 25. The findings showed that multiple runaway episodes, nontraditional family structure, lower educational attainment, and parental work limitations due to health increased the risk of homelessness. A permissive parenting style and being Hispanic protected against homelessness. This study offers unique insight into risk and protective factors for youth homelessness and has important clinical implications.

Rethinking substance abuse treatment with sex workers: How does the capability approach inform practice?

Substance abuse treatment providers commonly provide services for men and women involved in sex work. Sex workers often present to treatment with a complicated array of challenges (M. L. Burnette et al., 2008a; D. C. Ling, W. C. W. Wong, E. A. Holroyd, & S. A. Grayson, 2007; M. Young, C. Boyd, & A. Hubbell, 2000), and, while many scholars have posited the need for adapted interventions for sex workers (L. Nuttbrock, A. Rosenblum, S. Magura, C. Villano, & J. Wallace, 2004; A. Weiner, 1996), there is still a lull in the development of comprehensive, tailored services for sex workers seeking substance abuse treatment (L. Nuttbrock et al., 2004). Augmenting this gap is the lack of a clear framework through which to understand the challenges that sex workers endure and how their challenges may differ from treatment-seeking non-sex workers. In order to address this gap, the current study explored the utility of a social justice framework, namely the Capability Approach, in predicting sex work involvement among a substance-abusing sample. We hypothesize that increased challenges to achieving capability will predict sex work involvement among a substance-abusing sample. Results suggest that the Capability Approach is a useful framework that can be used to differentiate between sex workers and their substance-abusing counterparts and that sex workers experience greater challenges to achieving capability. As such, the current findings support recent calls in the literature for the development of tailored services to meet the needs of this population.

From the grassroots to the elites: examining collaboration among local service providers

Abstract Multiple agencies with varying missions often coexist within large urban communities. Collaboration among these providers is often encouraged as a means to increase access and quality of services provided to individuals and families. Few studies have examined how agencies with varying goals collaborate within communities to provide multiple services to distressed families and communities. The current study examines this process in a sample of 74 agencies addressing multiple needs in a Midwestern city (USA). Respondent agencies report a large network of partnerships with varying motivations for collaboration. Findings reveal that a hierarchical structure of service delivery partly accounts for patterns of collaboration and service provision among providers.

Examining youth and caregiver reports of depression and anxiety in families seeking eating disorder treatment

ABSTRACT This study examines discrepancies between adolescent and caregiver reports of youth internalizing symptoms in families presenting for an initial eating disorder assessment. Initial diagnostic assessments of 49 adolescent-caregiver dyads seeking treatment at an urban pediatric hospital eating disorder clinic were utilized to examine differences between youth and caregiver reports of youth anxiety and depression symptoms. Caregivers reported significantly higher scores of major depression and generalized anxiety than adolescents (p=.000). Caregivers of youth with more severe ED symptoms exhibited more congruence with youth’s own reports of their depression and anxiety. Our results suggest that agreement within families regarding comorbid psychological concerns may be beneficial in promoting treatment uptake for those who desire a reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms, regardless of motivation to change eating behaviors.