The proposed study is an examination of existing data sets to determine the effects of raising a child receiving treatment for a psychiatric disorder on mothers' welfare transitions. The data will consist of the welfare eligibility files and Medicaid records from 1994 to 1997 of recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This study will determine rates from 1994 to 1997 of AFDC children in treatment for psychiatric disorders, and compare the welfare experiences of those families to those with children in treatment for other chronic health conditions as well as those with children with average or no service utilization. Based on these findings, evidence will be provided to determine which groups need specially designed programs to help them with the transition from welfare to work and what the nature of those programs should be. The specific hypotheses of the proposed study are that: 1. Mothers of children receiving mental health treatment will exit welfare more slowly on average than both mothers whose children are not in treatment for chronic health conditions and mothers whose children are in treatment for other chronic health problems; 2. If they do exit welfare, mothers of children receiving mental health treatment will return to welfare more quickly on average than both mothers whose children are not in treatment and mothers whose children are in treatment for other chronic health problems; 3. From 1994 to 1997, the percentage of families receiving AFDC who had children in mental health treatment increased.
