Children’s mental health was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQ), a widely used psychological adjustment measurement for children aged three to 17. on children’s internalising behaviour (i.e., emotional symptoms and peer problems) and externalising behaviour (i.e., hyperactivity and conduct problems) development. We also included measures for mother’s employment, physical and mental health, household income, risks of poverty, housing tenure, childcare time, in addition to child and family demographic characteristics.
Our main finding is that the LPO reform increased pakistan rcs data lone mother’s employment and income, but this failed to translate into improvements in mental health for their adolescent children. The reform did not reduce the risk of family poverty and it contributed to mothers’ psychological distress. Mothers also reported that time with their children was insufficient, and many rated themselves ‘low’ in terms of their health.
Our study is among the first to investigate the intergenerational impact of lone parent employment policies on adolescents’ socioemotional development. Previous studies have focused on the impact of mothers’ employment on very young children. Our study is unique as it examines how a policy reform that incentivises mothers’ employment impacts adolescents. Although we found the negative effects on adolescents to be relatively small, our study offers a mixed picture of the benefits of welfare-to-work programmes on families and questions the assumption that these schemes improve the developmental outcomes of young children and adolescents.