London: A welfare state has little or no bearing on how children turn out, says an international study which found that strong families are the key to produce well adjusted and successful youngsters.
According to researchers, the children of married parents are likely to do better than those from broken or single-parent families, no matter how much state support the family is given, Daily Mail reported.
The study singled out the British welfare state as an example of the state support's failure in making a difference to the lives and success of children.
The findings, published in the US in the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, come in the wake of British Prime Minister David Cameron's announcement of free parenting classes and relationship support sessions, and an over three million pounds website to offer tips on every aspect of child rearing.
Critics have described the spending a waste, saying parents have always understood naturally how to bring up children and that a stable family is far more important to a child.
The study carried out by researchers at two American universities examined evidence from both Britain and the US -- one with a large welfare state, the other without -- on how children's lives progress between the age of five and 13.
It said there were a number of risk factors common to both countries that increased the likelihood that a child would have behavioural problems.
Boys were more likely to have difficulties than girls, health problems led to other difficulties for children, and children of divorced parents faced a greater likelihood of trouble, said the study.
Source: IANS
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