Family structural composition.

The structural composition of the family and the social support is important for family functioning. Half of these families are headed by women with no partner to offer them financial and emotional support. Further, they often lack help with domestic and child rearing tasks. As one participant says, "Mom does the homework. Mom does the bath…Mom, Mom, Mom…there is nobody else but Mom! " Julie left a husband with a gambling addiction and wavers between living in the fairy tale world that things will one day resolve: "Right now we're separated. Trying to work things out…been 17 months since we've been separated," and her reality:

Like he said he can outcome this gambling. That's a lot of garbage…that's bull crap…I wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for my husband there. This gambling and all that crap!…He had a good paying job at the hospital. And he was there for 6 ½ years and then all of a sudden they laid him off…He was a monster because of the gambling.

Many of the participants have severed ties with at least part, if not all of their extended family, even if they live in the same city. In the absence of regular contact with extended family members, they manifest a need to feel connected to a group. Their affiliation needs are therefore being met by forming strong ties with their neighbours or connecting to a spiritual force, which will be discussed in the following section.

Although Jill's son has grandparents living in the city, he rarely sees them. They do not come to the house to visit, nor do they take their grandson out. Friends serve as an important source of social contact for these participants and they are dependent on them for support. Only Beth has regular contact with a family member; she keeps close ties with her brother. Since he has a vehicle, he often takes the family to visit places that they would not have been able to visit otherwise. He is able to bring Beth's two daughters to their Brownie group every week and he takes all three children to church each week. Beth discusses the falling out with the rest of her family: