why do parents worry at the adolescence age of their children
Answers
Explanation:
Adolescence is a challenging period and cultural background plays an important role in families with adolescent. So exploring parents’ concerns in the specific context of Iran may improves nurses' family-based services and helps to reduce conflicts Iranian families with respect to adolescents. In this paper we explore perceptions of Iranian parents’ concerns in the family with raising adolescent children.
Both during adolescence and thereafter (having survived various struggles), adolescents gradually look for a new balance. Adolescents often experience physical, psychological, social and behavioral changes1 that result in difficulties for them and those around them. This is a difficult stage for both adolescents2 and also for the entire family and often increases tensions as well as inappropriate behaviors and relationships between parents and adolescents.3 Family changes through various development stages and adapts itself to the growth of children.4 Failure to deal adequately with them will disrupt the family.5,6 According to the 2011 census, the population of the age group of 10-19 years in Iran was reported to 12.3 million.7 Therefore, the study on adolescents is very important in our country.
The lack of proper communication with the parents is one of the problems in this period. Most conflicts between parents and their offspring occur during adolescence and inappropriate interaction between them is considered one of the greatest problems in this period.8,9 Many parents find their adolescent discordant. This perception leads to employing distinctive behaviors by parents against their offspring.10 Parents often behave based on the presumption that they share a common privacy with their adolescent without any boundaries.
This assumption often results in disturbing adolescents’ privacy which is correlated with their anxiety, depression and low satisfaction.11 In otherwords, adolescents perceive some of their parents’ behaviors as intrusion into their privacy.12 For most parents and families, this period is one of tension and rebellion.10
Review of literature and study existing research gaps according to result of studies contexts (family, home, school, and neighborhood) exert a powerful influence on adolescent development.4,13,14 Severe offenses in families create and solidify emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents15 and, in some cases, these might have outcomes such as delinquency, addiction, neurotic disorders, dropping out of school, leaving home, etc.16,17
Delinquency related literature identifies this period as challenging and critical for both parents and adolescents.18 Numerous studies have investigated these challenges and relevant solutions 19,20 and a majority of them have focused on parenting methods and their effects on adolescents and the ways of managing this period by parents.21-23 However, no clear answers have emerged as to why parents perceive this period as being so challenging, what issues parents exactly experience and what their concerns are relating to their adolescent offspring.
According to various studies, parents in Iran, like other countries, have similarly faced discrepancies administering their parental role and find raising adolescents to be extremely stressful.3 Also growth of social networks and the changing patterns of communication among adolescents are in many cases unwelcome for parents.24,25 In particular, recent social and cultural evolutions in Iran have brought about additional issues during this period. For instance, an increase in the number of city dwellers and further industrialization have generated new lifestyles among Iranian families and have presented the necessity for expanding social norms and modern patterns.26,27 Also the research conducted in Iran showed that the behavioral and emotional problems are seen in adolescents.28,29 In the Iranian society, the family is considered as the basic social unit in which the child plays a central role. Families are responsible for their children at all stages of life and they live with their parents until they are married even during their adulthood. Raising a child in such context where family relationships are limited and closed can cause differences.30,31
In order to comprehensively examine parents’ experiences, it is necessary to consider both social and cultural background. Exploring parents’ concerns regarding their adolescents’ upbringing can provide supporting strategies and proper planning. Reducing conflicts between parents and adolescents, can be an important step taken towards improving adolescents’ mental health. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of exploring concerns of Iranian parents with their adolescents.