THE IMPLICATIONS OF SINGLE

PARENTING ON THE
SOCIOCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF
THEA CHILD (where?); A QUALITATIVE
STUDY

PHFC 828: ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS IN PUBLIC

HEALTH

PETER KALIZIBE DEBORAH

PG/22/0174

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE MPH DEGREE

AS A COURSE REQUIREMENT TO
DR. S.A LAWAL
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC AND ALLIED HEALTH,
BABCOCK UNIVERSITY,
ILISAN REMO,
OGUN STATE.
APRIL, 2023.
1.0. Background/Introduction
Single parenting refers to the process of one parent, which can be either male or
female, a lone taking the full responsibility of nurturing the child (Dowd Nancy,
1997). A single parent family can arise due to the death of one parent or the
separation/divorce of parents. It can also arise due to adoption of a child by a single
parent, pregnancy outside of the marriage union which is very common especially
among teenagers and young adults and the advent of surrogacy and sperm banks
makes it easy for a single unmarried person to have a child (Amato 2000). Several
researchers have reported that single parenting affects the psychology of a child and
his perception of himself and society.
Kail (2011) opines that child development is the psychological and biological changes
a person experiences between birth and adolescence as he moves from dependence to
autonomy. The family and the parents are key contributors to the development of a
child. Azuka-Obieke (2013) reports that Children from single parents’ family
experience deprivations of quality care and affection and other attributes of care
which negatively impairs their development especially their psychology and social
interaction ability. According to Agbo (2007), single parents account for 35% of the
Nigerian population. Adelani and his colleagues and Bello et al., 2017 reported that
single parenting in Nigeria has been on the increase especially due to the rising
insecurity, increased divorce and unplanned teenage pregnancy and laws against
abortion (Adelani et al., 2015). This study seeks to explore the implications of single
parenting on the sociocultural development and well-being of the childhow single
parenting impacts on the well-being and development of a child. Kiran Sahu (2016)
hypothesizes reports that there is no difference in outcomes of sociocultural
development exist between children from single parentsparents’ home of divorced
families and single parents from death of a spouse. in relation to how it affects a
child.
Single parenting refers to the process of one parent which can be either male or
female, taking the full responsibility of nurturing a child alone (Dowd Nancy, 1997).
A single parent family can arise due to the death of one parent or the
separation/divorce of parents. It can also arise due to adoption of a child by a single
parent, pregnancy outside of the marriage union which is very common especially
among teenagers and young adults and the advent of surrogacy and sperm banks
makes it easy for a single unmarried person to have a child (Amato 2000). Several
researchers have reported that single parenting affects the psychology of a child and
his perception of himself and the society.
2.0. Statement of the Problem
Single parenting affects the development of a child adversely as they experience
challenges in their socialization which leads to anti-social behaviour such as
substance abuse, armed robbery, cultism, abortion, prostitution among many others
(John and Shimfe 2020). This is due to deprivations during their growth which
affected their emotional and behavioural development. Their psychological well-
being is compromised and they experience anxiety, depression, feeling of fear, anger,
suicidal ideation, faulty perception of self and others, lack of social interaction ability,
(Shumaila and Sarmad, 2019). Over the years researchers have investigated the
effects of single parenting on the child’s academic performance and overall
development of the child, but not much research has been done to understand and
describe how single parenting affects a child qualitatively. This study seeks to explore
the live reported sociocultural experiences of adolescents and young adults under
single-parent nurture to accurately understand and documentescribe the dynamics of
the phenomenon. and give insight on how it affects the sociocultural development of
thea child.
3.0. Research Questions
 What is the perceptions of Does single parenting affect the psychological
development of a child ?
 Can a single parent raise a healthy child ?
 Does single parenting influence the sociocultural development of a child
negatively ?
4.0. Research Objectives
This project broad objective is to explore "the implication of single parenting
modality" as it affects the growth and development of athe child. The following
specific objectives will be addressed:
 To understand the impact of single parenting in the development of a child.
 To describe the psychological state of a child from a single parent family.
 To discuss if the impact of single parenting negatively affects the socio cultural
development of a child which in turn affects the society.
5.0. Significance of the Study
This study is significant for the following reasons;
The family is the cell of socialization as the children from the family are groomed to
be citizens of the country. Research has shown that children from single parents home
perform poorly in school and are not stable in their jobs, and also exhibit negative
behaviour due to the deficiencies experienced during their development. The
prevalence of single parenting is on the rise hence the need to further explore the
dynamics of its impact on the child so the damages can be curtailed.
First, this study will contribute to the already existing knowledge on how single
parenting affects the development of a child from the live experience of the child.
Secondly, It will aid psychologist, therapist and social workers to modify parenting
styles available to single parents to complement the absence of the other parent so
healthy children can be groomed from a single parent home. Thirdly, It will aid policy
makers in making policies that support single parents and ensure the welfare of
children from single parents home.
6.0. Scope of the Study
This study will be conducted in Babcock University, Ilishan Remo. It will involve
adolescence and young adults from single parents families and will adopt a qualitative
approach using the phenomenological study design and applying In-depth Interview
(IDI) and focus group discussion methods.
7.0. Literature Review Outline
7.1. Single Parenting.
7.2. Single Parenting in Nigeria.
7.3. Psychology of a child.
7.4. Socio Cultural Development.
7.5. Psychosocial development of a child.
7.6. Behavioural outcomes of children from single parent family.
7.7. Social Cognitive Theory.
7.8. Anti-social Behaviour of a child from single parent family.
7.9. Impact of single parenting on child development
8.0. Conceptual Framework
The dynamics of the problem phenomenon will be explored by analysing the variables
and how they influence the outcome.

ANTECEDENT BAHAVIOUR
 Faulty Perception HEALTH OUTCOMES
 Death of a of self  Psychological Trauma
parent  Faulty perception  Mental Health issues
 Parental of the  Bahavioural issues
Divorce/sepera environment  Decreased social
tion  Feeling of interaction and poor
METHODOLOGY
9.0. Research Design
This study will adopt a phenomenological research design method. It will apply a
triangulation of two qualitative research tools; in-depth interviews (IDI) and focus
group discussion to explore the problem phenomenon.
10.0. Study Area
Ogun State is located in South Western Nigeria, and shares border with Ondo state to
the East, Rebublic of Benin to the West, Lagos State to the South and Oyo and Osun
state to the North. Ogun State has a total land area of 16,409.26 square kilometres and
is known as the gateway state. It has 20 local Government Areas, Babcock University
where this study will be conducted is located at Ikenne Local Government Area which
has a population density of 1,130/km² as at 2022. Babcock University is a private
University established in 1959 by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria. It is
located at Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State and has a population of over seven thousand
students and a thousand lecturers.
11.0. Study Population
The study population encompasses young adults and adolescents from single parents
home in Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo of Ogun State, Nigeria.
12.0. Sample Size
A total of twenty young adults will be selected. Seven participants will be involved
in a focus group discussion. The other thirteen participants would be interviewed In-
depth (IDI).
Eligibility Criteria (Reasons for Study Participants Selection)
Inclusion Criteria for Study Participants
a) Inclusion criteria for In-depth Interviews and Focus Group Discussion:
Young Adult : The person must be from a single parent home and must be 18 years
and above.
Exclusion Criteria for Study Participants
a) Exclusion criteria for In-depth Interviews and Focus Group Discussion:
Young Adult: Adults and Young adults from families with complete parents (father
and mother) or persons from single home under 18 years of age.
In-depth Interviews (13 participants)
Focus Group Discussion (7 participants)
13.0. Sampling Technique
This study will employ a non-probability sampling method. It will begin by adopting
a quota sampling of students in Babcock University for a focus group discussion and
further apply a snowball sampling of students in Babcock University for an In-depth
Interview.
14.0. Method of Data Collection
In-depth Interview
Qualitative data will be obtained using an in depth interview of study participants and
sessions will be recorded with the consent of the participant. IDI will explore the
experience of the participant, their feelings and emotions due to the absence of a
parent and how it affects how they perceive themselves and their environment.
Focus Group Discussion
The focus group discussion made up of seven participants including a facilitator and a
note taker will explore the experiences of the participants due to the absence of a
parent.
15.0. Method of Data Analysis
Atlas ti will be used to analyse the data from the interview in line with the research
objectives. Data will be processed using thematic content analysis tool.
16.0. Ethical Consideration
This will be sorted from the Babcock University Health Research Ethics Committee
(BUHREC), Babcock University, Ogun State. Informed consent of all study
participants will be obtained in this study prior to their participation in the research. A
verbal consent and a signed informed consent form will be obtained from the study
participants.
References
Adelani T, Afolayan AW, Sanusi JA, Olubiyi RA, Imam K, Ibraheem A et al.
Emergence of single parenthood in Ibadan, Nigeria and its implication to child
rearing. International Journal of Research in Applied Natural and Social Sciences,
2015, 3 (8): 71-80.

Amato, P.R and Reza, S.J (1994) “Contact with Non-Resident Parents, Inter Parental
Conflict and Children’s Behaviors”. Journals of Family Issues 15:191-207.

Azuka-Obieke, U. (2013) “Single Parenting, Psychological Well-being and Academic

Performance of Adolescents” University of Lagos, Nigeria.

Bello C.B. , Irinoye O.O. and *Akpor O.A. A comparative study of family structure
and health status in Ondo State, South west, Nigeria. Res. J. of Health Sci. Vol 5(4),
Oct./Dec., 2017

Dowd, N. E (1997). “In Defense of Single Families” New York: New York
University
Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-1916-9.
John Wajim and Shimfe, Harry Grace (2020). Single Parenting And Its Effects On
The Development Of Children In Nigeria. The International Journal of Social
Sciences and Humanities Invention, vol. 7, Issue 04,April 2020

Kail, R. V. (2011). Children and Their development. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice
Hall. ISBN 0-205-034994-2. OCLC 727047867.

Kiran Sahu. Psychological well-being and quality of parenting among children of

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