FATHERS OF CHILDREN ON WELFARE - THEIR IMPACT ON CHILD WELL-BEING

Although it is generally assumed that fathers are absent from the five s of children being raised on AFDC, evidence from a case-control study in Worcester, Massachusetts, suggests that there is considerable fath er-child contact. In addition, multivariate modeling indicates that co ntact with fathers had a modest beneficial effect on children's behavi or. Based on these study findings, negative traits of fathers (e.g., s ubstance abuse, physical violence) appear to be associated with increa sed child behavior problems.