The Effects of Single-Mother Families and Nonresident Fathers on Delinquency and Substance Abuse in Black and White Adolescents.

The article examines the impact of single-mother families and nonresident father's involvement in single-mother families on delinquency, heavy drinking and illicit drug use in Black and White adolescents by gender. Children who grow up in single-parent families have more negative outcomes than those with both parents. It is suggested that single-mother families will be less effective at socializing sons than daughters. In single-mother families, mothers' constraints on daughters are still present, but because of the lack of a father to model conventional adult male behavior and to deter deviance, sons in single-mother families might be even more likely to be deviant. The article is based on a representative household sample of over 600 adolescents and their parents. Using adolescent reports of support as an indicator of nonresident father involvement, it is found that for White adolescent males, nonresident father involvement buffers the negative effects of single-mother families on delinquency, heavy drinking, and illicit drug use. Indeed the highest rates of problem behavior are found among White male adolescents in single- mother families without the support of a nonresident father. However, for Black male adolescents, it is found that fewer problem behaviors when nonresident fathers are not involved in single-mother families.