THE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY ORGANIZATION ON THE UTILIZATION OF PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY SERVICES

Patterns of obtaining medical care for children from broken, lower socioeconomic families did not differ significantly from that of intact families. Many separated and divorced mothers handled their children's health problems adequately in spite of economic and transportation problems. Stability and intactness are not synonymous. The broken family may actually be quite stable due to hidden mates, guidance from appropriate social agencies and social norms which assign medical nursing care to the mother. This parental coping mechanism may be developed by long experience in dealing with the usual problems of a disadvantaged population: unemployment, desertion, poor housing and frequently, open violence.