Single Parent Families - the Link between Socioeconomic Status, Health, and Their Policy Implication - Essay Example

Single Parent families: The link between SES and health and their policy implication Introduction The number of research on socioeconomic status (SES) are high justifying the vital role of SES in affecting various facets of societal life. In every society, socioeconomic status have varied impact on various aspects of human life such as access to resources, formation of predisposition and even behavioural modification (Jin-Ding, Yu-Hsin & Fu-Gong, 2013). At all levels of socioeconomic status, society receives influence from various drivers that affect education, and health just to mention a few. The relevance of socioeconomic status is evident where health is a primary focus as health outcomes correlates with this important variable. In Australia, just like other parts of the world, single parent families is a vital concern given then impaction of socioeconomic status on the health of such families. There is no doubt various socioeconomic status gradient affect health outcomes of single parents. More than not, low socioeconomic status have a negative impact on the heath of members of single parent families, which underscore the need of policy programs that address socioeconomic challenges facing single parents. Various socioeconomic dimensions affect the health status of single parents who are facing increasing number of challenges that dual parenting do, but developing policies that manipulate some of the dimensions. Relevance of single parent families The connection between the health single parent families and various socioeconomic variables is paramount and brings into focus the impact of socioeconomic status on the Australian society. However, the impact of socioeconomic status among families is more complicated in single families than dual families. Indeed, a family structure such lone family or single family introduces a new perspective into the impact of socioeconomic status on health. This is because of the health differential between single parent families and families that enjoy dual parenting. The quality of health among single parenting families has been a question of fundamental important given the increasing number of single parents in Australia making 11% of the population in 2011 (Australian Institute of family studies, n.d.). According to Renzaho, McCabeb and Sainsbury (2011) Australia has a high number of immigrants with over 22% of the population having been born overseas (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007). In addition, Australia has a high number of single parents, as well as high number of teenage pregnancies. With more single parenting families, the need to improve health outcomes of single parents and their children is long overdue. Single parents remain a vulnerable group to various socioeconomic dimensions. As compared to dual parenting, single parenting families constitute a family structure where single parents take care of a child or children (Shaw, Lawlor & Najman, 2006). Single parenting families contend with an array of socioeconomic status, which could interact into a complex situation. For instance, the lifestyle and economic conditions of single families have an impact on their health, which constitutes various dimensions of the socioeconomic status. Single parenting families could be grappling with stress, as well as low social status in society (Evelyn, Terrance & Jane, 2007). In addition, such families could have having difficulties in raising children during the early life along with fighting social exclusions. With employment being a vital factor, single parents may have challenges find jobs or working while balancing their tasks and responsibilities at home (Steinmetz, 2008; Strazdins et al., 2010). Both of these factors compound the effect of other socioeconomic determinants. Access to healthy food and social support are other key socioeconomic dimension. Due to economic constraints, single parenting families could contend with limited access to food or social support not to mention the possibility of addiction to drugs and other illegal substances. Health implication of SES on single parent families A wealth of empirical evidence that positively correlates socioeconomic status and health. According to Tipper (2010), married persons tend to have better health than parents who are single. The study of Broom et al. (2006) various social dimension have an impact on the health of a population. In addition, unemployment and income have a compounding effect on the health status among families (Ahs & Westerling, 2006). These research works underscore the impact of socioeconomic status on health of single parenting families. The quality of relationship in single parenting home suffer due to parental depression. Dominik et al (2012) found that adolescents of single parenting families experience high levels of stress than those of children with two healthy parents. Prevalence of social and economic challenges could fuel depression among single parenting families passing the effect of depression from a lone parent to the child. In Australia, obesity is an epidemic that continue to grow because of excessive consumption of high-energy food. In the study of eating environment, Joan et al (2007) found that children in single parenting families received prompts to eat food than children in families with two healthy parents. The social environment and such communication among single parenting families were essential in children developing long dietary process that have serious impact on innate process. While no research has proved the connection between the impacts of food intake among children of single parenting families, such dietary patterns may have future healthy impact. Housing areas are indicator of socioeconomic status, which have impact on the wellbeing of children from single parenting families. According to Veritta (2008), children in single parenting families from socio economic background experience high number of conflicts in their housing areas. Such conflicts influence the psychological wellbeing of children with girls feeling more loneliness than boys do (Heather, David, & Richard, 2006). Such behavioural disturbance reinforce the possibility of children turning to drug abuse and getting into addiction. Moreover, children living with lone parents tend to experience more conflicts in their apartments as compared to children living with both parents (Veritta (2008). The limited satisfaction children receive from housing areas evidence the impact of low socioeconomic status on health of children from single parenting families. Socioeconomic status of single parent families have an impact on access to health care. In one study, Bridget and Jennifer (2008) found out that children of single mothers had different patterns of accessing health care services as compared to children with single fathers. The importance of socioeconomic status meant that children of single mothers with low socioeconomic status experience diminished care due to limited access to health care services. Indeed, this points to the impact of low socioeconomic status and its effect in lowering access to adequate health care services. Bridget and Jennifer (2008) research work underscore the role of socioeconomic status in mediating access to health care among children from single parents families especially girls. Addiction is a negative health determinant highly likely to occur single parent families because of various hardships. In a study to determine the relationship between family structure and alcohol use among children, Tamela et al. (2013) found that children in single families were likely to use alcohol due to stress or parental alcohol use. This research indicate that addiction is likely to exist in a single parenting family than in a family with both parents. The health effects of alcohol are obvious indicating that health status of children and a lone parent are likely to suffer where there is alcohol addiction in a single parent family. Policy/practise implications for the group addressing health and SES factors. Policy and practice implementation are essential drivers in mitigating impact of socioeconomic status. Welfare policies can provide single parenting family’s safety nets such jobs and education to reduce the impact of social challenges. As children grown and single parents age, the material and social demands could expose single parenting families to risks that may affect their health. However, welfare policies can achieve significant improvement by supporting such families during critical transitions. Policies with security and education goals are also critical in reducing negative outcomes arising from low socioeconomic status among single parenting families. Even where single parenting families face challenges, policies that improve education attainment hold the key of reducing the impact of education failure or insecurity that may expose children with lone parents to crimes. In addition, schools and neighbourhood have a role of creating sense of belonging among children and providing access to healthy foods (Barton, J., & Pretty, 2010). Such practice could reduce the impact of conflict and stress children with lone parent’s experience thus improving their health outcomes. Conclusion Socioeconomic status an array of dimensions that have far-reaching impact on health outcomes of vulnerable groups such as single parenting family. A single parenting family represent a family structure where a lone parent assumes full responsibility of raising children alone. In such a family, the parent may experience depression, lack of job, lack of access to enough food or social support. Employment could also be an issue. Prevalence of these dimensions degenerate into negative health outcomes such as stress, addiction and social misfit. However, policies that promote transition, lower education failure, promote security and increase access to healthy food are vital among children with lone parents. Putting such policies and practice into place offers a solution to health implication of socioeconomic status. Reference List Ahs, A. M. H., & Westerling, R. (2006). Health care utilization among persons who are unemployed or outside the labor force. Health Policy, 78(2–3):178-193. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2007). 2006 Census of population and housing (cat. No. 2914.0.55.002). Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Institute of family studies (n.d.). Australian households and families - Australian Family Trends - Australian Institute of Family Studies. Retrieved September 29, 2013, from http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/factssheets/2013/familytrends/aft4/index.html Barton, J., & Pretty, J., 2010. What is the best does of nature and green exercise for improving mental health? 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