Adjustment of Children and Interaction of Parent and Child among Single Mothers in a Disadvantaged South African Community

This study investigated the relationships among family status (intact vs single parent), socioeconomic status, parent-child interaction, and children's adjustment in a disadvantaged "Coloured" community in South Africa. Data were collected from 48 mothers, including 12 married mothers of higher socioeconomic status, 12 single mothers of higher socioeconomic status, 12 married mothers of low socioeconomic status, and 12 single mothers of low socioeconomic status. Low socioeconomic status, single mothers rated their children as significantly less adjusted than mothers in the other three groups. These and other findings suggest the importance of taking both family status and socioeconomic status into account. While the findings of this study are not conclusive, they could have implications for the "Coloured" community of South Africa and similar groups.