Single mothers in low-wage jobs: Financial strain, parenting, and preschoolers' outcomes

Using data from an ongoing study of 93 single black mothers of preschoolers who had been welfare recipients, but were employed in low-wage jobs at bas eline, this study tests a model of how maternal education, economic conditi ons (earnings and financial strain), and the availability of instrumental s upport influence maternal psychological functioning, parenting, and child d evelopment. Results indicate that maternal educational attainment was posit ively associated with earnings, which, together with instrumental support, were negatively associated with financial strain. Financial strain, in turn , was implicated in elevated levels of depressive symptoms, which were dire ctly and negatively implicated in parenting quality. The quality of parenti ng was associated with children's behavior problems and preschool ability. Specifically, mothers with higher scores on the HOME scale, our measure of involved, supportive parenting, had children with fewer behavior problems a nd better preschool ability.