Child Abuse and Welfare Use

Abstract:     
Physical and sexual abuse are very common among welfare recipients. The relation of abuse to welfare receipt remains largely unknown, however, because most research has been limited to current and former recipients. This paper uses a random sample of poor women to determine how a history of abuse affects the probability of receiving cash and in-kind assistance over a five-year period. It also investigates whether abuse affects the length of welfare receipt and the total amount of aid received. Women experiencing both physical and sexual abuse during childhood were more likely to use both cash and in-kind programs and had longer spells of cash assistance.

Keywords: Abuse, welfare programs, AFDC, Food Stamps, subsidized housing, domestic violence

JEL Classifications: I3, I12, J1

Working Paper Series