| dc.description.abstract | The process of child-rearing has been changing over time. Present-day dynamics have
necessitated parental absence due to the strain they place on parents thus reducing the quantity
and quality of time parents spend with their children. This study examines the impact of parental
absence on attention seeking behaviours among school going 13-18 year-olds in middle class
urban environment, the case of Westlands District, Nairobi County. Attention seeking behaviours
means all those repeated actions which, through their very annoying nature, bring a child to the
attention of a number of adults and other members of society. Six aspects of attention seeking
behaviours are examined in detail including teen cutting classes, engaging in physical fights in
and out of school, engaging in drug and substance abuse, teen predisposition to depression and
withdrawal, early initiation into sexual activities and having problems with the law and getting
arrested. Specifically, the study examines how today parents conceptualizes parenting, the social
and physical distance between parents and teenagers, attention seeking behaviours that teenagers
engage in as a result of parental absence and the relationship between parental absence and
attention seeking behaviours.
The study employed descriptive correlation research design. Both quantitative and qualitative
data was collected. It targeted 90 teenagers in class eight (8), forms two (2) and three (3) and 10
purposively selected parents. In addition, head teachers and guidance and counseling teachers
from the target schools took part in the study. Borgadus Social Distance scale was used in
analyzing the social distance between parents and teenagers. Likert Scale was used to measure
the teenagers‘ and parents‘ attitudes on what constitutes optimum interaction. Hypothesis was
tested using Chi Square statistic test.
Study findings reveal that today‘s parents are largely aware of what parenting entails. However,
there are increasing aspects of delegated parenting, privatization of the family institution,
increasing levels of parental absence and reducing levels of teen behaviour monitoring by
parents. The social and physical distance between parents and their teen children seem to be
increasing and house helps are more and more filling this gap. Chi Square test was calculated at
the degree of freedom of (2-1) (2-1) =1 at 5% level of significance. Findings on the relationship
between parental absence and the assessed attention seeking behaviours reveal that there is an
association between parental absence and teen cutting classes; teenagers‘ involvement in
physical fights in and out of school; teen predisposition to engage in drug and substance abuse;
teen predisposition to depression and withdrawal and early initiation of teenagers into sexual
activities. On the other hand, there is no association between parental absence and teenagers
having problems with the law or getting arrested.
The study concludes that although the attention seeking behaviours are associated with flaws in
the parenting process, they are a consequent of societal changes and their effects are also
societal. Society must find alternative mechanisms to supplement the rather flagging parenting
process. Due to continued unavailability of natural mentors, the study recommends among
others, that there is need to institute supplementary programs, particularly planned mentorship
programs, which will augment parenting process. There is also need to put in place training
programs for parents on effective teen parenting. This should focus on topics important to
parents today including effective teen-parent communication.
The study was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Edward Mburugu and Dr. Robinson
Ocharo. | en_US |
