Family structure has dramatically changed in the last 50 years.  With divorce rates going up and more children being born out of wedlock, single parent families are skyrocketing. Seventy percent of children will spend all or part of their life in a single household.

    Life in a single parent household can be quite stressful for the adult and the children. The single parent may feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities of juggling care  for the children, maintaining a job and keeping up with the bills and household chores. And typically, the family’s finances and resources are drastically reduced following the parents’ breakup.

     According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Approximately one in three children live in a single-parent family in the United States, with the majority of families (83%) headed by a mother. However, single fathers are a growing demographic who exhibit distinctive influence on child development. Research has predominantly focused on single mothers given their greater prevalence. Unfortunately, much of the evidence suggests that single-mother families tend to be disadvantaged at systemic and individual levels relative to two-parent families. 

       There is nothing bad about growing up in a single-mother family; in fact, the majority of children raised by single mothers are well-adjusted. However, it is understandable that the demands and stresses of single parenthood can have a negative influence on parenting, and subsequent youth psychosocial well-being, in some single-mother families.