The influence of an absent parent be it the father or the mother and, in some cases, both parents during the growth of a child is a broad and complex subject. In the recent past, the modern-day family structure has evolved and created a scenario where parent’s absence has gained high prevalence in many families living in the United States. Parent absence is as a result of separation or divorce, neglected and abandoned families by either the father or the mother, long-distance work commitments by one of the parents, and also parents who do not create time to bring up their children due to full-time work-related activities. Indeed, this is a matter that needs redress especially with an observation that many children develop into adulthood in circumstances without a father-figure in the family. It is imperative to examine the impact of parent absence on the psychological, behavioral, and intellectual development among children as they grow up to become adults.
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Behavioral Effects Associated with Parent Absence
Attachment issues
Generally, an attachment can be defined as a deep emotional bond that is developed between a parent and a child. Attachment-related issues are predominant among children who come from families with an absent parent. It is important for a child to receive a parent’s emotional warmth but in instances where this is not available, children tend to depict emotional imbalances (Mutie 3). Ideally, emotional presence means sharing quality time with children, showing passion and expressing special interest to what they require, and loving as well as supporting them emotionally and psychologically. Undoubtedly, in the absence of the parent’s emotional support, it opens a window where children are denied the warmth, they need that is useful to make them psychologically and emotionally mature. Further, a parent’s emotional absence during childhood and at the adolescence stage provides an opportunity for breeding an undisciplined child. Besides, in cases where the bond is not strong between the parent and the child, the result is hypervigilance to anger issues and a misalignment of aggressive intent to neutral stimuli which leads to a child’s misconduct (Brown).
It is important for the parent to be present during the growth of children because it helps them have trust in themselves and others and also develop a positive mind (Mutie 4). On top of that, according to a study conducted in The State University College in New York on children's needs, it was established that there are eight hierarchical emotional needs that are vital in the growth of children. Love and affection top the list as they are the most important needs for a child's development. It was found out that the presence of a parent's emotional support largely contributed to the holistic formation of children. Nonetheless, the research depicted that children need to be free from feelings related to fear (Mutie 4). According to the survey, the absence of a parent’s emotional support makes a child insecure; thereby, weakening the bond between the two and as a result, lead to emotional instability.
According to Ainsworth’s research, there are three categories of attachment that include; the Secure, the Avoidant, and lastly the Resistant. The research elaborates that the avoidant along with the resistant is termed as those children who have missed the parental presence in their lives. Furthermore, the survey depicts that these children show low ego strength, incompetent among their peers, and also experience dejection. Besides, these children are paranoid and, in most cases, incompetent when it comes to problem-solving. Nonetheless, in another research, it was established that the main effects of parental absence are insecurity because the family structure has been destroyed and that the life of an adolescent turns to be unpredictable and unstable (Mutie 13).
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse is rampant among children who grow up in families with a single parent and especially those without the father. These children end up taking a lot of alcohol as well as the use of other drugs. With regards to a longitudinal study conducted in Nigeria, it was found out that children especially at the adolescent stage, proved to be involved in mischief after losing hope in life; thereby, end up abusing drugs (Mutie 17). In Uganda, a survey was conducted and it showed that children who lacked parental love were encountered with a variety of challenges with one of them being drug abuse (Mutie 18). The main problem associated with drug abuse is the addiction which in turn forces many children who use these substances as a result of parental neglect end up to be drug addicts in their adulthood life. Therefore, the involvement of both parents in the growth of a child should not be underestimated because either the father or the mother would act as a guarding factor against substance abuse (Brown).
Involvement in Crime
Children who have grown in absence of emotionally available parents are vulnerable to be involved in the life of crime in their search for the unavailable parental attachment. Adolescent children tend to more likely to act out sexually with an objective of bridging the emotional gap that happens to have never been covered by their parents (Mutie 21). Notably, the family structure and the absence of either paternal or maternal involvement are foreseeable of juvenile delinquency. This is to mean, that a child's interactions with their parents solely determine their involvement in the crime. A case in study established that those youths who never interacted with their fathers depict high levels of incarceration. In addition, children who have been raised solely by their mothers are more likely to find themselves using illicit substances. These youths are involved in crime as a result of having a sense of belonging. Considerably, through gang involvement, many find a sense of acceptance. Therefore, they find it worthy for the gang leaders to fill the role of either their father or mother (Brown).
Early Engagement in Sexual Activity
According to a research that was conducted to establish the effect on children due to lack of a father-figure in their life, it was established that these children experience issues that are related to sexual identity as well as challenges in appreciating limits and internalizing rules in the social world. Further, it was depicted that there was lack of a parent who would represent moral virtues as required of any individual. Consequently, this failure would result in an increment to engaging sexual activity (Eizirik, and Bergmann). On the contrast, another survey examining the effect of father absence and female sexual activity determined that father absence has a direct relationship to an increase in the sexual activity; thus, lead to teenage pregnancies (East et al. 290). The study also established that female children who were abandoned early in life were exposed to other factors such as familial conflict. In fact, these factors could contribute to early exposure to sexual activities. Undoubtedly, the study concluded that adolescent children especially females who have not to experience father presence early in their life have a high probability of engaging in sexual activities.
Perceived Abandonment
Children who are brought up without one parent, for example, the father, might in future resort to resent those individuals who may want to be their father-figures because of perceived abandonment. Indeed, there is nothing that such paternal-figures may hold against these children because such feelings which they experience come as a result of trust issues and result in an escalated sense of anger. The emotive issue of substitute parents can be worsened when for instance the mother of a child is always unable to maintain long-lasting relationships. Therefore, when a child's mother relationship comes to a halt, this comes as a blow to these children because they blame themselves for these happenings even when they did not accept these men like their fathers (Eizirik, and Bergmann). As a child develops to being an adult, they carry with them issues from childhood and end up resulting to them being unable to develop social bonds. For instance, anger that has been caused by abandonment makes it hard for these children to come up with quality friendships and relationships in their life (Brown).
Effects Associated with Parent Absence on Brain Development
The development of a child’s brain largely depends on early experiences in life whether they get emotional and intellectual support from their parents. Research in the neurology field has shown that, like proteins and fats, interactions with people are vital for the development of the brain. As a result, it is worth mentioning that different interactions can lead to different ways of brain development. Therefore, in cases where a child experiences neglect from either the father or the mother, chances are that normal children develop emotional difficulties. It is common knowledge among psychologists that children who have poor education and have low-income parents do not achieve high intellectual levels (How Early Experiences Affect Brain Development). Recent studies have shown that this is as a result of parents who are engaged in their daily struggles to make sure that they meet their children’s needs. With their absence, children are not provided with stimulating experiences that encourage optimal development of the brain. In fact, children who are not frequently spoken to due to the absence of a parent fail to develop neural connections and pathways that enhance learning.
The absence of one parent in the picture of the family has significant effects on the single parent left to tender for the child such as a lack of sufficient income to cover house expenses. With this, children are at a high risk of not fully developing their brain and needs intervention to solve the problem. A study that was conducted in the University of North Carolina showed that intensive early intervention helps enhance the development of children whose parents experiencing low income. During the project, children were assigned either a fulltime 5-year program of being cared for and parent engagement activities a few months after birth, otherwise provided with the free formula along with the diapers. Four years after the project was initiated, the program children secured an average IQ of about 105 as contrasted to the control group which had an average IQ of 85 (How Early Experiences Affect Brain Development). Further, it was found out that program children demonstrated proficient reading skills. The study was concluded that the absence of a parent in a family has a direct relationship to a child’s brain development.
Scientists have proven that a major ingredient in the development of the brain is the “serve and return” interaction that is based on children and their parents. Naturally, young children often reach out to older people (parents) by babbling, through facial expressions, and also through gesture. In turn, adults respond to them with the exact kind of vocalizing and the use of gestures. Therefore, when a parent is absent, such kinds of responses will not be available for the child. Consequently, there is no room for the formation of the brain’s architecture as it is expected; thus, there are disparities in behavior and learning ("Inbrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development").
Basically, it is imperative to note that one of the most important tasks a child performs is establishing whether and how its needs can be met in the world it lives. Therefore, they constantly assess if by crying for food and comfort are assumed or appropriately attended to, and also whether what they do can influence the surroundings. If there are parents to respond to their cries and tend to their needs, the child more or less sees them as providers of safety and security. With this in mind knowing that their safety is assured, they allow their brains to explore the world around them (How Early Experiences Affect Brain Development). However, in instances where there is no one to respond to their needs as a result of either the mother and or the father, the focus of its brain would be how their pleas should be met. As a result, they find it difficult to interact with people and other things in its environment; thereafter, their brain automatically prevents the stimulation it requires to develop cognitive and social skills.
Mental Illnesses among Children Associated with an Absent Parent
Social Anxiety Disorder
There are many occasions which people often become anxious be it when they are delivering a speech to when they are being interviewed for a particular job position. In this case, social anxiety is more than just becoming shy over a particular issue. Social anxiety disorder makes a child suffering from it to fear being embarrassed to an extent that they end up avoiding situations that might lead to it. The disorder is as a result of fearing social situations that are not familiar or feel that one is going to be evaluated by others (Smith et al.). Children affected by this kind of disorder are very frightened and get anxious thinking about these situations; hence, they eventually disrupt their life in the long run. The disorder is injurious to a child’s health because they become afraid that people will negatively think about them or that they cannot match when compared to others.
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) can as well be related to children especially teens and young adults who have been bred in a family with one parent. These children suffering from BPD experience instability in almost every aspect of their life from the relationships they have, their moods, their thought processes, their behavioral aspects as well as their identity. In addition, these children with BPD depict a sense of extreme sensitivity. In fact, when they are triggered by small things, they seem to have intense reactions (Smith et al.). Unfortunately, it is hard to calm them down in instances when they are upset. When emotions of children suffering from this disorder are high, they cannot control themselves and even become unable to think objectively. As a result, they eventually hurt those people close to them by saying hurtful things to them in the process of their anger.
Depression
Depression is a mental health disorder that is featured with consistency in feeling sad, being irritated, lack of interest in certain activities, and generally feeling hopeless and at some point think about committing suicide. Children who grow up in families of a single parent either the mother or the father would be affected with this kind of illness; hence, the ailment changes the way they think, feel, and even act. Clearly, single parenthood is a risk factor for mental health problems experienced both by children and adults, leading to depression (Smith et al.). The economic undoing of most single parents raising children results to the high prevalence of this disorder among children in families going through these problems (ncbi). Further, a child living in a family that is economically underprivileged is also susceptible to experiencing higher levels of emotional and behavioral problems.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) happens to be another mental ill health associated with children who grow up in a family that does not have either the mother or the father. Despite being normal for most children to frequently forget about their homework, daydreaming during class time, or do something without careful thought, inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity are also signs of ADHD. ADHD manifests itself in children in many different ways from those who cannot be still when they are seated, those who never listen to what is being said, those who never follow instructions, and even those that inappropriately blurt out comments (Smith et al.). As a result of all these behavioral patterns, children suffering from ADHD are branded to be troublemakers and rebuked of being lazy and undisciplined. Sometimes, it becomes difficult to understand children who depict these characteristics until a parent establishes that it is ADHD. However, it is sometimes hard to distinguish ADHD from normal child behavior.
Conclusion
It is worth noting that the absence of one parent in the bringing up of a child leads to behavioral effects that range from attachment issues, children end up abusing drugs and consuming excess alcohol, involve themselves in crime, perceive that they have been abandoned in the family structure and also engaging in sexual activity inappropriately. Besides, there are also effects associated with a child's brain development in the sense that absence of a parent's emotional support and care, there is an optimal development of the brain. Most important to note are the mental illnesses associated with the lack of one parent in the life of a child. Mental health problems that are as a result of parent tendencies consciously or unconsciously abandoning their responsibilities include the following but not limited to social anxiety disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Works Cited
"InBrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development." Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbrief-science-of-ecd/.
Jerrod Brown, MA, MS, MS, MS. "Father-Absent Homes: Implications for Criminal Justice and Mental Health Professionals." Home, www.mnpsych.org/index.php?option=com_dailyplanetblog"view=entry"category=industry%20news"id=54:father-absent-homes-implications-for-criminal-justice-and-mental-health-professionals.
East, Leah et al. Father Absence and Adolescent Development: A Review of the Literature. 4th ed., SAGE Publications, 2006, pp. 290-291, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1367493506067869. Accessed 17 Nov 2018.
Eizirik, Mariana, and David Simon Bergmann. "Father Absence and its Influence on Child and Adolescent Development: A Case Report". Scielo.Br, 2004, http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0101-81082004000300010"script=sci_arttext"tlng=en. Accessed 17 Nov 2018.
How Early Experiences Affect Brain Development. 2nd ed., pp. 1-6, https://www.theounce.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/StartingSmart.pdf. Accessed 17 Nov 2018.
Mutie, Joseph. Effects of Emotionally Absent Parents on the Behavior of Adolescents. Kenyatta University Publications, 2009, pp. 3-21, https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/14414/Effects%20of%20emotionally%20absent%20parents%20on%20the%20behaviour%20of%20adolescents%20in%20selected%20secondary%20schools%20in%20Machakos%20County,%20Kenya.pdf;sequence=1. Accessed 17 Nov 2018.
Smith, Melinda et al. "Borderline Personality Disorder: A Guide to Symptoms, Treatment, and Recovery". Helpguide.Org, 2018, https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-disorders/borderline-personality-disorder.htm. Accessed 17 Nov 2018.
