The Behaviourial Problems of Adolescents From Single Parent Homes

Abstract

Parenting is challenging under the best of conditions. With one parent, the challenges are multiplied. Child-rearing for single parents becomes more difficult because of responsibility overload, when one parent makes all the decisions and provides for all of the family needs; task overload, when the demands for work, housework, and parenting can be overwhelming for one person; and emotional overload, when the single parent must always be available to meet both their own and their children's emotional needs. This overload results in problems for the single parent, including loneliness, anxiety, and depression. It is from this starting point of assumed overload of the single mother that this study sought to establish the veracity of the consequential premise of pathology of single mother family children. The main objective of the study was to investigate the behavioural characteristics of adolescents from single parent homes in the Westlands archdeaconry, A.C.K diocese of Nairobi. The study was a qualitative case study of the behavioural characteristics of adolescent children in the Westlands Archdeaconry of the Anglican Diocese of Nairobi.The Study used stratified random, purposive and snowball sampling to acquire a representative sample of the accessible population. The study used questionnaires, interview schedules and focus group discussions as a means of collecting data. Data analysis was done both quantitatively and qualitatively.The study found out that anger is a common behaviour amongadolescents from single parent families besides drug abuse andinvolvement in sexual activities. Kissing is the most rampant level of sexual activity among adolescents besides groping and caressing.The study established that the church has an important role to play in terms of coming up with proper strategies for healthy psychosocial functioning of these adolescents.The study concluded that failure to attain goals was a major cause of aggressive behaviour in adolescent respondents and that peer pressure plays a key role inductingadolescents into drug abuse; the most frequently abused drug being alcohol. Moreover,a significant number of adolescent respondents are involved in early sexual activity from as early as Primary and secondary school and that a lot needs to be done by the Church in empowering the youth to solve their problems. These include among others introducing teaching forums every school holiday to teach respondents on life skills.The study recommended that the Church should unite with families in teaching adolescents anger management, the effects of misuse of drugs,dangers of early sexual involvement which include among others unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and dropping out from school and that the Church should actively involve itself in organising for parent-teenager fora to foster understanding within respondents’ familie