Children of Substance Abusing Women on Federal Welfare: Implications for Child Well-Being and TANF Policy

The present study sought to characterize well-being indicators for a sample of children of substance dependent TANF women. Participants were 372 mothers meeting DSM-IV criteria for substance dependence and 156 non-substance abusing women from two urban counties in New Jersey. Children of substance dependent TANF mothers experienced significant vulnerabilities, as demonstrated by higher levels of contextual risk factors and negative behavioral and emotional and school outcomes. Overall, these rates were about double those found in children of non-substance abusing mothers. Results highlight the need for multi-systemic services to address the problems experienced by substance abusing TANF women and their children. (C) 2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.