Background: In the UK, lone parents must seek work as a condition of receiving welfare benefits once their youngest child reaches a certain age. Since 2008, the lower age limit at which these Lone Parent Obligations (LPO) apply has been reduced in steps. We used data from a nationally representative, longitudinal, household panel study to analyse the health effects of increased welfare conditionality under LPO.
Methods: From the Understanding Society survey, we used data for lone mothers who were newly exposed to LPO when the age cutoff was reduced from 7 to 5 years in 2012 (intervention group 1) and from 10 to 7 years in 2010 (intervention group 2), as well as lone mothers who remained unexposed (control group 1) or continuously exposed (control group 2) at those times. We did difference-in-difference analyses that controlled for differences in the fixed characteristics of participants in the intervention and control groups to estimate the effect of exposure to conditionality on the health of lone mothers. Our primary outcome was the difference in change over time between the intervention and control groups in scores on the Mental Component Summary (MCS) of the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12).
Findings: The mental health of lone mothers declined in the intervention groups compared with the control groups. For intervention group 1, scores on the MCS decreased by 1·39 (95% CI -1·29 to 4·08) compared with control group 1 and by 2·29 (0·00 to 4·57) compared with control group 2. For intervention group 2, MCS scores decreased by 2·45 (-0·57 to 5·48) compared with control group 1 and by 1·28 (-1·45 to 4·00) compared with control group 2. When pooling the two intervention groups, scores on the MCS decreased by 2·13 (0·10 to 4·17) compared with control group 1 and 2·21 (0·30 to 4·13) compared with control group 2.
Interpretation: Stringent conditions for receiving welfare benefits are increasingly common in high-income countries. Our results suggest that requiring lone parents with school-age children toseek work as a condition of receiving welfare benefits adversely affects their mental health.
Funding: UK Medical Research Council, Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office, and National Health Service Research Scotland.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6038023 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30109-9 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Effect of Capromorelin on Appetite and Weight Gain of Domestic Pigeons ().
J Avian Med Surg
January 2025
Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery (Zoological Medicine), University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, GA 30602, USA,
Weight loss and decreased appetite are commonly encountered sequela of disease and stress in avian patients. However, there is currently minimal information in the veterinary literature regarding appetite stimulation in birds. Capromorelin is a potent agonist of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor and increases food consumption via direct stimulation of the hunger centers of the hypothalamus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF"Combined synergistic effects of concentrated growth factors and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells on regeneration of induced mandibular defects in rabbits".
Cytotherapy
December 2024
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Hebei Technology Innovation Center of Oral Health, Hebei Medical University & Hebei Key Laboratory of Stomatology & Hebei Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China. Electronic address:
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the potential of combining allogeneic adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) with autologous concentrated growth factors (CGF) to enhance the repair of mandibular defects in rabbits.
Methods: Rabbit ADSCs were characterized using flow cytometry, identifying CD73, CD90, and CD105 as surface markers, while Alizarin Red Staining confirmed osteogenic differentiation, showing substantial mineralized deposits by day 21. A total of 24 New Zealand white rabbits were divided into four groups: BLANK (control group), CGF, ADSCs, and ADSCs/CGF.
Effects of transurethral 0bipolar plasma prostatectomy on urodynamics and sexual function in patients with prostatic hyperplasia.
Afr J Reprod Health
December 2024
Department of Medical Laboratory, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan 646000, China.
This was an original article, and the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of bipolar transurethral plasma kinetic prostatectomy (TUPKP) on urodynamics and sexual function in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients. One hundred and four BPH patients were divided into a control group and an intervention group. The control group received transurethral resection of prostate, while the intervention group received TUKEP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffects of the application of combined plan-do-check-action and enhanced recovery by nurses on patients undergoing cesarean section.
Afr J Reprod Health
December 2024
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China.
This study examined the effects of a combination of plan-do-check-action (PDCA) and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) on patients undergoing cesarean section. One hundred and thirty patients undergoing caesarean section at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University comprised the study group. They were randomly divided into a control group (CG) and an intervention group (IG).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffect of timing of antibiotic use on premature rupture of membranes and its impact on reproductive tract infection and fetal membrane cell scorching indicators.
Afr J Reprod Health
December 2024
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Changshu Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine,Changshu 215500, Jiang Su,China.
The study was designed to appraise the effects of early antibiotic administration on reproductive tract infections and fetal membrane cell scorching in instances of premature rupture of membranes (PROM). A total of 107 pregnant women diagnosed with PROM between July 2020 and June 2022 were randomly assigned to two groups: the Intervention (n=54), where ampicillin were administered within 24 hours of PROM onset, and the control group (n=53), where ampicillin were given 24-48 hours after PROM. Maternal and neonatal outcomes, incidence of reproductive tract infections, and fetal membrane cell scorching indicators (Caspase-1, Caspase -3, Caspase-9 and IL-β) were compared.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!