Presence Of Problems Research Articles

CHILD SUPPORT IN THE UNITED STATES: THE EXPERIENCE IN COLORADO

This article reports on the results of a telephone survey conducted with a random sample of households screened for eligibility to receive child support in the state of Colorado. Despite the recent enactment of ambitious child support legislation at the state and federal levels, the accounts of 731 custodial parents reveal a massive level of unmet need, with child support problems being most extreme for those never married to the child's other parent. These mothers typically lack an order establishing a legal obligation to pay child support and have incomes that fall below the poverty level. Overall, women of Colorado with child support orders received only about half of the support they were due, and 73 per cent of all women due support reported that they had experienced problems in collecting support either currently or in the past. The average amount of back due child support owed to the 60 per cent of women in the sample who reported an arrearage was $12, 000. Analysis revealed that payment behaviour tracked with the length of time since separation with payment patterns worsening over time and irregular visitation and/or the presence of problems around child access. Female obligors exhibited the same payment patterns as their male counterparts but were more apt to maintain visitation. The article documents the dramatic, negative economic consequences of irregular or missing child support payments for custodial parents, and discusses the additional legal and financial commitments needed to improve the situation. The efficacy of private child support transfers to achieve an adequate standard of living for all children is called into question.

Perceived persistence of problems in post-head-injury rehabilitation

This study was an attempt to understand the relationship between provision of rehabilitation services and the perceived persistence of adjustment problems following services. Types of services provided by treatment facilities and patient ratings of presence of problems were identified. The results of the study strongly suggest that services provided by a single facility or a combination of facilities does little to reduce client-perceived persistence of adjustment problems. Severity of disability only accounts for small differences in identified problems. The relative constancy of post-treatment problems reflects the chronicity of disability. Results further suggest that post-acute care treatment by other facilities increases the number of perceived problems, especially following referral for vocational rehabilitation services.