Effects of maternal employment and prematurity on child outcomes in singleparent families

Background. Effects of maternal employment for preschool children vary base d on specific characteristics of the mothers employment, the family's econo mic status, and the mother's attitudes about employment. However, there is limited research on a growing group of children at developmental risk-those born prematurely and living in a single-parent family. Objective: To examine the effects of maternal employment and prematurity on child cognition and behavior in single-parent families. Methods: Sixty preterm and 61 full-term preschool children were recruited t hrough NICU admission records and birth records. Data were collected with t he Kaufmann Assessment Battery for Children, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Tes t, Child Behavior Checklist, Parenting Stress Index, and the Life History C alendar. Results: Greater hours employed was related to higher achievement and menta l processing scores only. Less discrepancy between actual and desired emplo yment was related to higher achievement, mental processing, and language sc ores and lower behavior scores. Prematurity was not related to child cognit ive and behavioral performance. Only the relationship between discrepancy a nd language remained after statistical control. Conclusions: The concerns about negative effects of maternal employment on young children may be overstated, especially in low-income, single-mother f amilies. These findings are especially important in the context of welfare reform.