The relationship between certain family variables and the psychological well-being of Black adolescents

[摘要] English: The black South African family has been neglected in research, although attemptshave been made in recent years to rectify this situation. In addition, little informationexists regarding black adolescents in South Africa. The aim of this research projectwas thus to supplement existing data on black adolescents within their familycontexts. To this end the relationship between selected family variables and thepsychological well-being of black adolescents was investigated.The traditional black South African family and socio-political factors impacting on it,was explored through a literature review. Subsequently, data was colle cted from 2 505black adolescents. Information regarding the following family variables wereobtained: family structure, marital status of parents, household size, educationalstatus of both parents, employment status of both parents, time spent with eac h parent,and taking care of household members who are severely disabled or chronically ill.Variables relating to psychological well-being of adolescents that were measured,were depression, perceptions of social support, life satisfaction and self-esteem.Regarding family variables, interesting trends were observed. The extended familywas found to be the predominant family structure, although only marginally so.Divorce rates were low and the average household size was larger than expected.Furthermore adolescents spend considerably more time with their mothers than withtheir fathers. A majority of adolescents indicated that they do not spend enough timewith their fathers. A large proportion of participants indicated that they are caring forseverely disabled or chronically ill members in their households.A high depression rate of 26% was found. Results showed that family variables hadvirtually no significant impact on adolescent depression. Maternal employment andthe presence of household me mbers who are severely disabled or chronically ill werethe only two variables that showed statistically significant relationships withdepression. 172It seemed that adolescents experience less perceived support in female -headedextended families. Intact families, employed fathers, and more time spent with bothmothers and fathers appeared to be linked to higher levels of perceived familialsupport. Identified trends appear to suggest that what is generally considered to be astable family environment (e.g. intact family and sufficient family time) has a positiveimpact on adolescents' well-being.The only family variable that showed a statistically significant relationship with selfesteemwas taking care of household members with severe disabilities or chronicillnesses. The study also found that larger households, paternal employment and moretime spent with parents were statistically significantly linked to higher levels of lifesatisfaction.Results of the study revealed that the black families in this study are reasonably stabledespite pressures exerted on it. This confirms the existence of innate strengths withinblack families, and shows their resilience. Several prominent issues that deservesfurther attention both in terms of future research and in terms of interventionstrategies, came to light in the course of the research. The high depression rateamongst adolescents needs serious attention. Time spent with parents also deservesfurther consideration. Black families need assistance in overcoming the negativeeffects of South Africa's socio-political history and in finding a synthesis betweentheir traditional family values and the demands of modern society. In this regard,inherent strengths of black families need to be investigated. Finally, the emergence ofnew family structures, and the causes and effects thereof, should be examined.The current project adds greatly to the existing database on black families and thepsychological well-being of black adolescents. It is hoped that this will stimulatefurther research in this field, and that information will be utilized in designing andsteering intervention programmes.

[发布机构] University of the Free State