ABSTRACT
In this chapter we focus on the development of children in a sample of families headed by young mothers receiving welfare. It is clear from available evidence that both birth to an adolescent mother and growing up in poverty represent risks to positive child development. Yet not all children of young mothers in poverty show difficulties in behavioral adjustment or cognitive development. Indeed, the evidence points to substantial variation among children in these circumstances. Part of the difference in outcomes may be due to the presence for some children of protective factors that mitigate against these otherwise stressful circumstances. During an era of diminishing tolerance for welfare dependency, it is critically important to identify the factors that support more positive development in this doubly at-risk group of children.
