Assessing the Correlation between Parental Work Schedules-Family Balance and Adolescents Psycho-Social Behavior in Kiambu High Schools, Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

Work-family balance remains a central issue for employed parents and employers alike. An important correlate of both adolescent psychosocial development and parental work is the parent-child relationship. Psychosocial and mental health problems are quite prevalent among adolescent worldwide, some data reporting up to 20% of adolescents having such problems, therefore this study looked into adolescents’ psycho-social behavior as influenced by parents work-family balance. The specific objectives included establishing effects of parents’ work-family balance on parenting styles; parent- adolescent bond and Parent-adolescent conflict as significant factors of adolescents' psychosocial behavior. This study was conducted using a mixed method research design and the target population was adolescents in both public and private high schools in Kiambu County. Stratified sampling technique was used to select both private and public schools in 10 districts. From the total population of 338 schools a sample of 42 was selected which represents about 12% of the total population of schools and using simple random sampling, 420 adolescents was drawn; of which 10 adolescents were randomly selected in every selected school. Structured questionnaire with a section on the Adolescents’ Psychosocial Functioning Inventory (APFI) test was developed and utilized as a tool for collecting data.. The researcher analyzed data using both descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS that involved frequency distribution and chi-square tests and presented in tables and charts. The research findings indicate that adolescents from authoritative and authoritarian parenting style inhabit same Optimism and Coping Strategies (OCS) TFS =12 slightly higher than those from permissive parenting style TFS=8 . The findings also indicate that adolescents from authoritative and authoritarian parenting style inhabit high General Psychosocial Dysfunctions (GPD) TFS=44.02 and are more likely to have Behavioral and Relationship Problems (BRP) TFS=9.78. The results show how parents’ work-family balance affect Parent- adolescent bond and in turn influence adolescents' psychosocial behavior; Adolescents who spend more quality time with parents in the evening to bond inhabit appreciable aspects of psychosocial development behaviors TFS (OCS=9.71; GPD=36.43; and BRP=9.57) and the relation between time adolescents’ father comes back from work and Parent- adolescent bond was significant, X2 (3, N=390) =40.022, p<0.01, whereby 156 (40%) adolescents noted to have poor bonding and can’t tell time their father came back because they usually asleep by the time he gets home. The relation between time adolescents’ mother comes back from work and Parent- adolescent bond was also significant, X2 (4, N=390) =136.906, p<0.01. The researcher established how parents’ work-family balance affect Parent-adolescent conflict and in turn influence adolescents' psychosocial behavior; whereby high parents-adolescents conflict lead to high TFS (GPD =41.6) and (BRP =10.78). The research concludes that the correlation between parental work schedules-family balance and adolescents’ psychosocial behavior is hinged on parenting style, level of parent-adolescent bond and level of parent-adolescent conflict. From a practical perspective, the findings of the current study have implications for both adolescents and the parent; thus in this light the researcher recommends that parents should struggle to balance work and family responsibilities for a positive psychosocial behaviour development of the adolescents.