MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM AND WELFARE DEPENDENTS--HOW STRON

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DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Abstract): This proposal will analyze mental health problems among low-income single mothers, particularly women receiving cash welfare benefits. While educational and employment skill deficits among welfare recipients have been recognized as important barriers hindering their self-sufficiency, the role that mental health problems may play in preventing women's transition from welfare to work has been mostly ignored. Using data from the 1994 National Household Survey of Drug Abuse (NHSDA), this proposal examines the prevalence of mental health problems among the AFDC population, the extent of treatment services utilization, and the relationships between mental health problems, welfare receipt and employment. The impact that receiving treatment for a mental health problem has on these relationships will also be examined. Identifying the prevalence of mental health problems, and understanding the relationships among mental health, welfare receipt and employment, are necessary first steps in establishing the services that some AFDC recipients may require to successfully transition from welfare to work. Findings from this research are directly relevant to current public policy efforts focusing on women's self-sufficiency.