Twenty-eight mother-child pairs -- 14 single parent mothers and their preschool children and a matched group of married women and their children -- were observed in order to investigate four questions concerning potential differences in the mother-child interactions, life circumstances, and social supports. These questions are (1) Do mother-child interaction behaviors differ in single parent and two-parent homes? (2) Do single parents face more stresses and life changes and have fewer social supports and community ties than do married mothers? (3) Do single parents differ from married women in how well they cope with the stresses and responsibilities in their lives? and (4) How do external stresses, life circumstances and social supports affect the functioning of single and married mothers? Results are discussed. Further, implications of the results for theoretical descriptions of the effect of social networks and maternal adjustment on child development are considered, as are implications for intervention. (Author/RH)