Long-Term Effects of Welfare Exit on Children's Behavioral Problems

Background and Purpose:

Millions of single mothers have left the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for work since 1997, leaving many without a safety net for their children. Past studies have shown that young children of mothers who left welfare and are currently employed are less likely to exhibit behavior problems than are children of mothers who remain on welfare and children whose mothers are not receiving welfare and are not employed. This study extends the research by investigating the association between length of time since leaving welfare and young children’s behavioral problems. We examine the effect of welfare exit on behavioral outcomes of 5-year-old children whose mothers left welfare in the previous year and between 1 and 3 years.

Methods:

We analyzed data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a national birth cohort study of nearly 5,000 births born in large U.S. cities begun immediately following welfare reform in 1997. The current study used the 2003-2006 five-year wave. Multiple regression analyses were run to assess children’s behavioral outcomes at age 5 measured as internalizing and externalizing behaviors. We controlled for child’ age and race/ethnicity, mother’s age, relationship status, education, self-rated health, parenting stress, family income, and current employment. We ran two analysis for each outcome variable: the first compared the two welfare leaver groups (children of mothers who left welfare in the previous year and those who left welfare between 1 and 3 years) to those currently on welfare; the second compared the two welfare leaver groups to poor not on welfare in the last 3 years.

Results:

Children whose mothers left welfare in the previous year had significantly lower internalizing behaviors than both (a) children currently on welfare (β= -.06, p <.001) and (b) poor children not on welfare in the last 3 years (β= -.03, p <.001). Children whose mothers left welfare in the previous year presented higher externalizing behaviors than (a) children currently on welfare (β=.12, p <.001) and (b) poor children not on welfare in the last 3 years (β=.15, p <.001). However, when looking at long-term effects of mothers’ welfare exit (after 1-3 years), the short-term (one year after exit) positive effects of welfare on internalizing behaviors disappear and existing externalizing behaviors increase. Children whose mothers left welfare between 1 and 3 years presented higher internalizing behaviors than (a) children currently on welfare (β=.06, p <.001) and (b) poor children not on welfare last 3 years (β=.07, p <.001). They also exhibited higher externalizing behaviors than (a) children currently on welfare (β=.19, p <.001) and (b) poor children not on welfare last 3 years (β=.21, p<.001).

Conclusion and Implications:

Our findings show that children’s behavioral problems increase the longer mothers are off welfare. Further research is necessary to determine the mechanisms by which exit from welfare affects young children. The findings suggest that ensuring healthy development for children requires long-term services and social supports to help TANF-leaver families as they transition off welfare support.