Conducted in response to the 7% increase in black female single-parent families during 1970 to 1975, this project systematically investigates the impact of parent-absence on the socialization of black children. Divided into four separate studies, the project concentrates on (1) community-social variables related to black parent-absent families; (2) perceptions by black female prisoners of the effects of separation from their children; (3) children's age at onset and duration of separation as they relate to father-absent children's performance on cognitive tasks; and (4) the effects of labor and employment on the female head-of-household. The introductory section of this report provides a rationale for the study, lists the overall goals of the study, examines relevant questions, and depicts the organizational structure of the project. The second section presents a theoretical overview, while the third, fourth, and fifth sections include discussions of the methodology, data collection, and analysis, respectively. The four studies are briefly reviewed in the sixth section. In the seventh section, the relationship of the four studies to the theoretical framework is considered. Dissemination and utilization activities are reported in the eighth section. The final section presents conclusions and proposes recommendations. Related materials, including interviewer's observation forms, are appended. Also appended are detailed reports of each of the project studies. (Author/RH)