Are There Psychological Effects of Parental Absence on Children - Research Paper Example

Psychological Impact of Parent Absence on Children Introduction The term parent absence is usedto refer to the method through which certain parents experience failure of relating with their own children. Parent absence does not necessarily mean that either the mother or the father of the child is not living with the child. Parent absence can even result if the bonding between children and their parents is not enough for the fulfillment of the requirements of the child for parental attachment. This research paper will focus on various aspects of parental absence including the number of children that are experiencing this issue, the reasons due to which this issue arises and the impact on the cognitive development of the child due to exposure to this issue. Prevalence The numbers of children who are living without a father or a mother are increasing day by day and the number of children being impacted by this issue is even increasing rapidly. As of 2006, a total of more than 2.5 million fathers out of 64.3 million fathers throughout the nation of US were taking care of their family single handedly and this is a troubling fact because 36 years back only a total of 0.4 million fathers were looking after their children without a female partner or mother (U.S. Census Bureau 1). Similarly, Turner reports that during the period of 2000, over 70% of the single parent family were being managed as well as controlled by mother’s only (Turner 65). Reasons Causing Parent Absence There are several reasons due to which children end up experiencing parental absence. One of the main reasons is the employment factor of the parents, parents are quite busy in competing in their professional life in order to keep their jobs secure that they end up alienating their children. Another reason is lack of attachment between the children and the parents due to which children experience absence of parental care. Children may even experience this issue because either the mother or father have decided to live as a single parents or one of the parents have experienced death. Impact of Absent Parents Parents are very essential for the wellbeing of children, their existence does not only assist in the behavioral development of children, their existence even impact the psychological development of children. A huge number of children are being raised by their grandparents due to absence of their biological parents and this has caused heavy emotional issues for children and children living with their grandparents even face failure in becoming good learners as compared to children who are brought up by their own biological parents. According to Kelch-Oliver, children who are not raised by their own biological parents and are rather raised by grandparents experience tremendous psychological issues and these psychological issues clearly provide insight regarding the lack of educational support that should be received by these children (Kelch-Oliver 400). Kelch-Oliver even figured out through a literature research that children who are raised by their grandparents are most likely to visit and obtain assistance from psychologists and counselors (Kelch-Oliver 400). Both mother as well as father have a major role to play in the upbringing of children. These two figures set examples for their children and help them distinguish between right and wrong. Male children who grow up without their father exhibit various emotional issues such as acting out and anger. This is mainly because of lack of a significant figure such as a father in the household who can help shape up the cognitive development of children. A father in the family helps children in differentiating between professions that are considered good by the society from those professions that are counted negative by the society. Due to this lack of direction, children who have absent fathers are most likely to get involved in anti-social behaviors. Joan McCord figured out through his research that in the region of United States those children whose parents had separated from each other were indulged in the act of acting out and those whose parents had been separated for over 10 years were involved in delinquent behavior (Robins 116). Children who live without their fathers tend to experience issues such as loneliness and feeling of being abandoned, due to these emotional issues they end up using drugs and alcohol in order to obtain relaxation from these issues. Substance abuse is one of the most problematic psychological issues that may be experienced by children. McCord figured out that other than involving in deviant activities, fatherless children even get involved in abusing drugs at a very high level (Robins 117). Absence of father is not only the issue that impacts the cognitive development of a child, absence of a mother can even negatively impact the mental development of a child. Mothers are specifically very important as they are the ones who provide constant feedback to children regarding how well their chidlren are performing and they are the ones who are continously in contact with their children. In other works, mothers help in the development of a child’s selfesteem. Selfesteem is a term used to define the feeling of pride that an idnviidual or a child has for themselves. This pride is generated due to positive feedback provided by the parents. Due to lack of parents, chidlren start experiencing low self esteem because they do not have caregivers around to aknowledge them that they are performing well (Mruk 85). Conclusion The issue of absent parent is caused when parents and children do not bond well with each other or one or both of the biological parents are not present to support the child. The problem is that single parent families and children living without parents is increasing day by day. There are several causes of absence of parents and this absence is resulting in psychological issues for children. Children living without father and mother and those hwo live with their grandparents experience emotional issues and chidlren living without fathers are at a higher risk of abusing drugs and indulging in deviant actibvities and children living without mothers are at a higher risk of experiencing low selfesteem. Works Cited Facts for Features: Father's Day: June 15, 2008 - Facts for Features & Special Editions - Newsroom - U.S. Census Bureau." Census Bureau Homepage. N.p., 15 June 2008. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. . Kelch-Oliver, Karia. "African American Grandchildren Raised In Grandparent-Headed Families: An Exploratory Study." The Family Journal 19.4 (2011): 396-406. Print. Mruk, Christopher J.. Self-esteem research, theory, and practice toward a positive psychology of self-esteem. 3rd ed. New York: Springer Pub., 2006. Print. Robins, Lee N., and Michael Rutter. Straight and devious pathways from childhood to adulthood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990. Print. Turner, Jeffrey S.. Families in America: a reference handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2002. Print. Read More