Single Parent Children

The number of children of single parents continues to escalate in the United States. Changing socioeconomic conditions continue to see the rise of single-parent families where children are given primary care by only one parent. Over the last half a century, the number of children under eighteen years old in single parent families has continued to rise for all races according to the U.S. Department of Commerce as evidenced in the table below:

CHILDREN OF SINGLE PARENTS (All Races)

The literature and tradition views the children of single-parent families as at-risk children, i.e. those more prone to behavior, health, and academic problems. Many studies have been conducted which reinforce the theory that children of single-parent homes are more likely to experience development challenges than children from two-parent homes. The American Academy of Pediatrics list the following risks "Children from single parent homes face an array of risks, ranging from mild cognitive delays in preschoolers to withdrawal and depression in older kids" (Elmer-Dewitt 3).

There are a host of theories provided as to why children of single-parent families appear to be more at-risk than children of two-parent families. Many argue that poverty, lack of time spent with children of working single-parents,

Related Essays

Single-Parent Family Structure and Children The topic of this presentation is the effects of lower-income single-parent mothers on their children's educational achievements, with the focus on AFDC .... (2088 8 )

Mental Health of Children in Single-parent Homes .... number of marriages that have ended in separation or divorce, professionals have begun to look at the effects of single-parent custody on both children and the .... (2627 11 )

Data on Single Parent Households .... Single Parent Households and Academic Achievement Does living in a single parent household depress children's level of academic achievement? .... (3714 15 )

Personality Development and Single Parent Families .... The magnitude of this change in child rearing environments has produced research into the effects of single parent families on children. .... (2048 8 )

The Single Parent and Poverty .... A@Children in single-parent families are six times as likely to be poorYchildren in one-parent families are two or three times as likelyY.to have behavioral or .... (1500 6 )

nts are often socialized by peers, the media, and the neighborhood environment. Many of these families live in poverty and in areas where crime, violence and drug and alcohol abuse levels are high. As such, many of these children become involved in crime, violence and addictive behaviors because they are mainly left to their own devices where socialization and maturation are concerned. The literature on the concerns of single-parent families supports this contention "Parents fear that, in the absence of more benevolent influences, children are adopting the values of the aggressively materialistic, consumerist culture portrayed on TV. In their eyes, children are no longer acquiring an identity at home, as much as attempting to buy one in the marketplace" (Elmer-Dewitt 3). Many of these children become involved in crime in order to support the purchasing of such an identity. Many single-parents are themselves teenagers. They are often poor, lacking in education and job skills, and unaware of health prevention and maintenance. Study after study supports the contention that the children of these parents will suffer in a behavior or academic capacity "Children of single mothers are more prone to academic and emotional problems,

Category: Misc - S