Difficult Communication with the Father or Not Having or Not Seeing the Father: Effects on Teens’ Risk Behavior and Well-being

Authors

  • Inês Camacho Faculdade de Motricidade Humana- Universidade Técnica de Lisboa
  • Margarida Gaspar de Motas
  • Gina Tomé
  • Celeste Simões

Keywords:

Father, Mother, Communication, Adolescents, Risk Behaviour and Well-Being.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the influence that “having a difficult communication with parents†and “not seeing or not having parents†may have on risk behaviour (drunkenness and bullying) and on the perception of school performance, happiness, health perception and physical and psychological well-being.

Methods: In the context of European study HBSC-Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children, the study included a total of 4877 students attending the 6th, 8th and 10th grade in public schools in Portugal, with an average age of 14 years old.

The results revealed that young people that do not have or never see their father tend to get drunk more often, their perception of academic ability is more frequently below the average and they tend feel more unhappy. Compared to those, pupils reporting having a father at home but a difficult communication with him  less frequently got drunk, like better attending school, have a better perception of academic ability, are more happy and have a better perception of health. Significant differences were not found regarding mothers.

Although a difficult communication with fathers affect adolescent’s health, well being and their engagement in risk behaviour, the situation is in general still worst when they do not have or do not see their fathers at home.

 

 

References

Abar, C., & Turrisi, R. (2008). How important are parents during the college years? A longitudinal perspective of indirect influences parents yield on their coleege teens' alcohol use. Addictive Behaviors, 33 , 1360-1368.

Amato, P. (2005). The impact of family formation change on the cognitive social and emotional well-being of the next generation. Future Child, 15, 75-96.

Ardelt, M., & Day, L. (2002). Parents, siblings, and peers: close social relationships and adolescent desviance. Journal of Early Adolescence, 22 (3), 310-349.

Branje, S., Van Aken, M., & Van Lieshout, C. (2002). Relational support in families with adolescents. Journal of Family Psychology, 16 (3), 351-362.

Carlsund, A., Eriksson, U., Lofstedt, P., & Sellstrom, E. (2013). Risk behaviour in Swedish adolescents: is shared physical custody after divorce a risk or a protective factor? European Journal of Public Health, 23 (1)3 -8.

Camacho, I., & Matos, M. (2008). A Família: Factor de Protecção no Consumo de Substâncias. [Family: A Protector Factor in Substances Use] In M. Matos (Eds) Consumo de Substâncias: Estilo de Vida? À Procura de um estilo?[ Substance Consumption: Lifestyle? Searching for a style?] . Pp 165- 200. Lisboa: IDT

Cantril, H. (1965). The pattern of human concerns. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press

Carter, M., McGee, R., Taylor, B., & Williams, S. (2007). Health outcomes in adolescence: associations with family, friends and school engagement. Journal of Adolescence , 30, 51-62.

Creed, P., Muller, J. & Patton, W. (2003). Leaving high school: the influence and consequences for psychological well-being and career-related confidence. Journal of Adolescence, 26, 295-311.

Currie, C., Roberts, C., Morgan, A., Smith, R., Settertbulte, W., Samdal, O., Rasmussen, V.(2004). HBSC, and WHO cross national study: research protocol for the 2001/2002 survey. Copenhagen: WHO.

Field, T., Diego, M., & Sanders, C. (2002). Adolescents’ parents and peer relationship. Adolescence, 37 (145), 121-129.

Frӧjd S, Marttunen M, Kaltiala-Heino R. The effect of adolescent- and parent-induced family transitions in middle adolescence. Nord Journal of Psychiatry. 2011;13:1–6.

Gilman, R., & Huebner, E. S. (2006). Characteristics of adolescents who report very high life satisfaction. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, (35) , 3, 311-319.

Grossrau-Breen, D., Kuntsche, E., & Gmel, G. (2010). My older sibling was drunk-Younger siblings' drunkenness in relation to parental monitoring and the parent-adolescent relationship. Journal of Adolescence , 33,643-652.

Hindelang, R., Dwyer, W., & Leeming, F. (2001). Adolescent risk-taking behavior: a review of the role of parental involvment. Curr Problems Pediatrics , 31,67-83.

Jablonska, B., & Linderbeg, L. (2007). Risk behaviours, victimisation and mental distress among adolescents in different family structures. Psychiatry Epidemiologic, 42 (8), 653-666.

Joronen, K., & Astedt-Kurti, P. (2005). Familial contribution to adolescent subjective weel-being. Internacional Journal of Nurses Practices, 11,(3), 125-133.

Laeheem, K., Kuning, M., McNeil, N., & Besag, V.E. (2009). Bullying in Pattani primary schools in southern Thailand. Child: Care, Health and Development, 35(2), 178-183.

Levin K, Currie C. (2010) Family structure, mother- child communication, father- child communication, and adolescent life satisfaction. Health Educ 2010; 110: 152–68.

Matos, M., Simões, C., Tomé, G., Gaspar, T., Camacho, I., Diniz, J., & Equipa do Aventura Social. (2010).Relatório Preliminar do Estudo HBSC 2010 (Preliminary Report of the Study HBSC, 2010)Web site: www.fmh.utl.pt/aventurasocial.com; www.aventurasocial.com

Mounts, N. (2002). Parental management of adolescent peer relationships in context: the role of parenting style. Journal of Family Psychology, 16 (1), 58-89.

Piko, B., & Hamvai, C.(2010). Parent, school and peer-related correlates of adolescents life satisfaction. Children and Youth Services Review, 32, (10).1479-1482.

Piko, F. B., & Kovács, E. (2010). Do parents and school matter? Protective factors for adolescent substance use. Addictive Behaviors, 35 , 53-56.

Karademas, E., Peppa, N., Fotiou, A., & Kokkevi, A. (2008). Family, school and health in children and adolescence: findings froma the 2006 HBSC study in Greece. Journal of Health Psychology, 13 (8),102-120.

Kuntsche, Emmanuel; Simons-Morton, Bruce; Fotiou, Anastasios; et al.(2009) Decrease in Adolescent Cannabis Use From 2002 to 2006 and Links to Evenings Out With Friends in 31 European and North American Countries and Regions

Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(2) 119-125

Suldo, S., & Huebner, E. S. (2006). Is extremely high life satisfaction during adolescence advantageous? Social Indicators Research , 78, 179-203.

Scharf, M., Mayseless, O., & Kivenson-Baron, I. (2004). Adolescents’ attachment representations and developmental tasks in emerging adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 40, (3).430-444.

Spriggs, A., Iannotti, R., Nansel, T., Haynie, D.(2007). Adolescent bullying involvement and perceived family, peer and school relations: commonalities and differences across race and ethnicity. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, (3), 283-293.

Turrisi, R., Jaccard, J., Taki, R., Dunnam, H., & Grimes, J. (2001). Examination of the short -term efficay of a parent intervention to reduce college student driking tendencies. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 15 (4) , 366-372.

Van Ryzin, M. J., Gravely, A. A., & Roseth, C. J. (2009). Autonomy, belongingness, and engagement in school as contributors to adolescent psychological well-being. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 1-12.

Wilkinson, R. B. (2010). Best friend attachment versus peer attachment in the prediction of adolescent psychological adjustment. Journal of Adolescence , 33, 709-717.

Downloads

Published

2014-06-15

How to Cite

Camacho, I., de Motas, M. G., Tomé, G., & Simões, C. (2014). Difficult Communication with the Father or Not Having or Not Seeing the Father: Effects on Teens’ Risk Behavior and Well-being. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, 2(3). Retrieved from https://www.ajouronline.com/index.php/AJHSS/article/view/1157

Issue

Section

Articles