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The Influence Of Fathering Style On Social Adjustment Among Adolescents
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CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction Early pregnancy is a situation
whereby a girl-child is impregnated as a result of premarital sexual
activity. Many girls these days are in the habit of being involved in
premarital sexual acts due to civilization and education. There is no
doubt that the traditional values have been overthrown in favour of
liberal sexual attitude. According to Abe (1996), 63% of adolescents do
not think that virginity was important, but old-fashioned recreational
sex seems to be the way of many youths and the resultant effect of early
pregnancy, abortion and consequently death or destruction of the
reproductive organs. Nwobi (1997) describes the family as the network of
persons intimately held together by a bond of social or blood
relationship. The family comprises the father as head and breadwinner,
the children who must take orders or directions from the father.
Therefore, for the father to raise meaningful and responsible children
in the society the needs to adopt a certain style of leadership or
parenting.
1.1 Theoretical Background Arione, (1994) used two
typologies to describe fathering styles: demandingness and
responsiveness; that when crossed yields four fathering styles.
According to Arione, authoritative fathers are both responsive and
demanding. They set clear reasonable standards for responsible behaviour
that are consistent with children’s development and provide explanation
for their positions. They are also kind, warm, loving and responsive to
children’s needs and will negotiate their expectations. Authoritarian
fathers are only demanding but not responsive. They only place values on
obedience to rules and discourage give-and-take between father and
child and do not take their children’s needs into consideration.
Permissive fathers are also indulging, they are responsive but not
demanding. These fathers are warm, accepting and tolerant of the child’s
impulses. They also make few demands on the child for mature behaviour,
but do not use much or no punishment and avoid exerting their
authorities. More recently, permissive fathers have been separated from
neglecting-rejecting ones, who also do not make many demands because
they are disengaged and they are neither demanding nor responsive. Thus
this has caused the girl child who could not get what she wants from
her father to use what she has to get what she wants outside the home.
The resultant effect has been early sexual activity which is the result
of early pregnancy of the child. Sexual indiscipline among adolescents
in secondary schools includes increasing rates of premarital sex,
promiscuity, prostitution, teenage pregnancy, teenage marriage and
motherhood, illegal abortions, child abuse and abandonment and premature
death for teenage mothers as a result of abortion. The Newswatch
(1985),main feature was the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy
captioned “Children Having Childrenâ€. The situation has assumed a
greater dimension because sexual indiscipline is closely related to
criminal acts – such as abortion and child abuse. Teenage pregnancy
sometimes leads to teenage marriage or what is usually called the “Shot
gun marriageâ€. This option is often frought with both medical, social
and psychological dangers and problems. For one thing, a girl’s body is
still growing and if nutrition is deficient such teenage girl is a poor
obstetric risk. For another there are psychological problems associated
with teenage marriage such as “Shot gun†marriage, leading t dropping
out of school, humiliation and degradation suffered by the adolescents
and their families. There are the financial implications and lack of
psychological support system for the adolescent mother. The attendant
dropping out of school for the girl usually forces into poverty cycle,
while high increasing rate of illegitimate pregnancy exacts a heavy
financial toll on tax payers. Finally, single parenthood seems to be
increasing among adolescents as a result of early pregnancy due to
premarital sexual activity with/its implication for the proper
psychological well being of the child and the mother, and on the long
run, with social implications for the society (Kuforiji, 1998). It is a
well known fact that more teenagers are engaged in sexual intercourse at
earlier ages. Rafiu (1994) found that in a sample of 100 students in
secondary schools 48% boys and 36% girls stated that they had sexual
intercourse by age 15.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study examined the influence of fathering style on social adjustment among adolescents in Surulere LED of Lagos State.Four hypotheses were formulated to guide the study.To achieve this aim, the researcher formulated four hypothesis to guide the study:There is no significant influence of fathering styles on social adjustment of adolescents.There is no significant impact of fathering styles on proneness to early pregnancy among female adolescents.There is no significant cultural impact on fat ... Continue reading---
