Robert G. Wood’s research while affiliated with Mathematica Policy Research and other places

... For example, since 2006, the U.S. government has spent over $725 million dollars in support of responsible fatherhood (RF) programs, the goal of which has been to promote paternal involvement and coparental relationship of at-risk and nonresidential fathers, in particular (Holmes et al., 2020). Other efforts have included Healthy Marriage Initiative designed to encourage and strengthen families (Moore et al., 2023;Wood et al., 2014). The end goal of these programs is to encourage the development of healthy relationship skills and increase positive paternal participation in the child's life. ...

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Dimensions of Father Development and Parenting: A Person-Centered Approach of Men Attending a Responsible Fatherhood Program

... Data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) reveal that 3% of married and 14% of unmarried cohabiting partnerships dissolved within 1 year after the child's birth (Lichter et al., 2016). The MotherWise project, a randomized controlled trial of a relationship skills program for pregnant or postpartum women, found 10% dissolution rates at 1 year postpartum among women who were married to, or in a steady relationship with, their baby's father at baseline (Patnaik et al., 2023). In sum, there is some evidence of relationship dissolutions during the first year postpartum. ...

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Patterns and Predictors of Change in Relationship Status Among Black Mothers Over 16 Weeks Postpartum

... Mathematica Policy Research has been contracted by Administration for Children and Families to conduct an impact study evaluating before and after effects of four PREP-funded programs in Iowa, Kentucky, Texas, and New York City. 86 A common CORD model building on the collective impact approach was used across all demonstration sites, with primary care and public health interventions designed to reduce children's consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, increase moderate and vigorous physical activity, decrease screen time, increase children's sleep duration and quality, and replace nutritionally poor foods with fruits and vegetables. Primary care settings were linked to schools and homes by integrators such as community health workers (CHWs) who served to coordinate care, provide education and counseling to children and families, and helped to link families to resources. ...

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Taking Stock: The Affordable Care Act's Progress Toward Achieving Health Equity

... 50 Importantly, three of the healthy relationship curricula reviewed were evaluated as part of a larger program evaluation, but couples with a history of DV were not allowed to participate. 51 This limits our knowledge of how these curricula may help prevent DV or could be adapted to incorporate DV content. It is also important to note that the evaluation findings from these three curricula do not differentiate the effects of each individual curriculum from the program as a whole. ...

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Preventing and Addressing Intimate Violence when Engaging Dads (PAIVED): Challenges, Successes, and Promising Practices from Responsible Fatherhood Programs

... Scholars and policymakers have not established a common definition of housing instability; however, most agree that housing instability is an antecedent to homelessness (Cunningham, Harwood, & Hall, 2010;Rog & Buckner, 2007). The extant literature has identified a myriad of forms of housing instability including but not limited to: moving frequently, foreclosure, doubling up, episodic homelessness, difficulty paying housing costs, or moving because of housing costs (Gilman, Kawachi, Fitzmaurice, & Buka, 2003;Kushel et al., 2006;Phinney et al., 2007;Rog & Buckner, 2007;Tsemberis, McHugo, Williams, Hanrahan, & Stefancic, 2007;Wood & Rangarajan, 2004). Housing stability as a construct is frequently measured by frequency of moves, frequency of evictions, prior experience of homelessness, or an individual's ability to pay housing costs (Freudenberg et al., 2013). ...

Reference:

Are Discrimination and Social Capital Related to Housing Instability?

... Fair communication creates a good environment of healthy relationship of partners. According to Wood et al. (2014), the commitment to marriage values, sharing common interests and working to achieve them, openness of opinions and feelings, communication, trust, role model virtues, and sexual desire and fulfillment against all odds are the basic features of a successful marriage (Wood et al. 2014). Perry and Steven (1992) has argued that each time one or both spouses choose to ignore signs of discord and avoid communicating, what each of them is really feeling is that their relationship is coming closer to the end (Perry & Steven, 1992). ...

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Changing Trends of Marriage: Emerging Complication, Paradoxical Thinking and Social Transformation

... Existing research finds a role for TANF policy in disconnection among low-income women. In a study in New Jersey, for instance, Moore et al. (2012) found that welfare sanction-punitive action for violating cash assistance requirements-tripled the risk of disconnection. Using SIPP data and exploiting variation in state welfare rules, Hetling and colleagues (2015) found lifetime time limits less than the federal 60 months and less generous benefits were associated with an increased probability of disconnection. ...

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When Cash Safety Nets Fade: SNAP-Participating Households with Children Without Cash Income

... It appears that the traditional promise "till death do us part" is no longer relevant, nevertheless lasts only as long as "my needs" are provided for, and the failure of a spouse to meet the financial and sexual needs of the other spouse creates a marital crisis. Wood et al. (2012) noted that frequent disagreements, abusive behavior, and disrespect among couples are signs that all is not well in a marriage. Wood et al. further stated that some couples resort to constant namecalling or rude behavior and bringing up issues that purposely hurt the other person. ...

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Changing Trends of Marriage: Emerging Complication, Paradoxical Thinking and Social Transformation

... have become a growing portion of New Jersey's cash assistance caseload in recent years. Between 1995 and 2001, the fraction of child-only cases has increased substantially, up from 17 percent in 1995 to 33 percent in 2001 (Wood, Strong 2002). 6 Nearly twothirds of the child only cases in April 2001 were headed by nonparent caretakers who are raising their grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or other young relatives and are receiving cash assistance on their behalf; one in four was headed by a disabled parent who was on SSI, and about 10 percent were cases headed by an immigrant parent not eligible for TANF (Figure 9). ...

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Moving Clients into Self-Sufficiency: Summary of Findings from the WFNJ Evaluation. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research

... Unemployment Insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are also considered when data are available, as are household income and duration of unemployment. Food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and in-kind transfers are usually excluded as forms of cash assistance (Loprest 2003;Ovwigho et al. 2009;Turner et al. 2006;Wood and Rangarajan 2003;Zedlewski et al. 2003). Although SNAP is an important resource, it does not provide a steady source of monetary income. ...

Reference:

Trajectories of Economic Disconnection among Families in the Child Welfare System