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Introduction
Background of the Problem
Parenting adolescents is a challenging task in modern American society. The problem is compounded when one is forced to raise such teenagers as a single mother. According to Elliott, Powell, and Brenton (2015), recent statistics show that about half of the African American children are raised by single parents. The study also indicates that 70% of single parents are mothers. Johnsen and Friborg (2015) state that many single mothers are forced to raise their children without the emotional and financial support from male partners who fathered these children. Taking care of the familys financial needs is challenging, but Williams and Smalls (2015) explain that parenting goes beyond that. It also entails understanding ones childrens unique needs and addressing them in the best way possible.
Some children are open with their parents and can express themselves effectively when dealing with issues affecting them at school or home. Others prefer not to express their issues to the parents. It largely depends on the relationship that has been developed between a parent and a child (Cokley, Awosogba, & Taylor, 2014). A parent who spends most of the time working to provide for the family may not have time to monitor their childrens trends and behavioral patterns unless an issue is brought to their attention by a teacher or a neighbor. It means that a child can deviate away from the standard norms and behavior expected by society without the parents knowledge. Determining the experience of single mothers of their relationship with their adolescent sons is important in this study.
The relationship that single mothers have when parenting adolescent sons is different from that of adolescent daughters. According to Groh, Fearon, Jzendoorn, BakermansKranenburg, and Roisman (2017), parenting a boy child is different from parenting a girl child. Leech (2016) also notes that a female parents approach to parent an adolescent boy is different from that which is taken when parenting an adolescent girl. As a child develops into an adolescent stage, they experience physiological and emotional developments that may be challenging for them to understand (Benner, Boyle, & Sadler, 2016). They begin to understand their sexuality and struggle to deal with their emotions. At this stage, a teenage boy would need the support of a father who understands this developmental stage based on experience.
Maynard, Salas-Wright, and Vaughn (2015) explain that it is easier for a teenage boy to seek help from an adult male than a female. Unfortunately, the majority of these single parented young boys are cared for by their mothers. In such families, the only adult member of the family is the female parent. Cohns (2016) report shows that the majority of these adolescent boys raised by female parents rarely share their experiences with their mothers. They suffer in silence and are easily convinced to join groups that may lead them astray. Parents come to learn about these childrens problems when something serious has happened (Maudry-Beverley, 2014). Others are forced to deal with the financial loss caused by the actions of their children. In extreme cases, it is often too late for the parent to act when these children ultimately lose their lives while engaging in dangerous activities due to peer pressure. The ability of a parent to guide a child depends on the personal relationship between the two.
The experience that these single African American parents go through can only be expressed by the affected group. Barnett and Scaramella (2013) explain that it can be frustrating for a single parent to learn that providing food, shelter, education, healthcare, and other basic needs is not enough for parenting. Others are forced to take two or three jobs to make ends meet, but that is not everything that the family needs. Her attention is equally needed, especially when there is no other adult in the immediate family that can offer guidance to the children (Hirsch, Dierkhising, & Herz, 2018). They have to find ways of balancing their limited time between working several jobs a day and giving their adolescent sons the attention they need. In this paper, the focus was to investigate single African American females experience of being mothers to their adolescent sons.
Need for the Study
The chosen topic was relatively new in the field of parenting in American society. Scholars have conducted broad studies on single parenting, as Weinrath, Donatelli, and Murchison (2016) observe. Scholarly attention is yet to be given on the experience of single African American female being mothers to their adolescent sons. This literature gap was addressed in this study. According to Irvine, Drew, and Sainsbury (2013), studies indicate that over 25% of African American females aged 22-44 are single mothers. 9% of white females in the same age bracket are single mothers (Cooper & Norcross, 2016). It means that single parenting is more common among African American females than it is among white females. It is necessary to find ways to improve these parents experiences as the problem becomes more prevalent among the targeted group (Cohn, 2016). As evident from the discussion above, this study was not focused on fighting the increasing cases of single parenting, which is a different but important topic.
The investigation looks at the experience of that these female parents have intending to understand the challenges they have to deal with and ways of improving their experience. These parents should not give up despite the psychological trauma they have to endure (Pachankis, Hatzenbuehler, Rendina, Safren, & Parsons, 2015). However, they need some form of support to overcome some of the painful experiences. Through this study, it was possible to bring the attention of the American public to this issue through various forums to find ways of improving the experience. A study conducted by Johnsen and Friborg (2015) shows that most single mothers prefer having girls to boys. They believe that it is more challenging to parent adolescent boys because of their rebellious nature. The negative attitude that some of these parents have can worsen the experience and deny the affected children the affection they need from the parent. They can easily become resentful adults who cannot sustain meaningful relationships or avoid breaking the law (Cooper & Norcross, 2016). Solving such social problems needs the attention of the American community.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this research is to investigate how single African-American mothers experience their relationship with their adolescent sons. According to a study by Slonim (2014), single mothers find it difficult to parent their adolescent sons than to raise adolescent girls. They went through the same stages that their girls are going through to easily relate to the physiological and emotional changes they are going through. It is also easy for female parents to talk about the sexual health and sexuality of their adolescent daughters, a very important topic for adolescents (Williams, Ryan, Davis-Kean, McLoyd, & Schulenberg, 2017).
However, the same cannot be said for single mothers parenting adolescent sons. Snyder (2016) believes that although American society has made significant steps in fighting stereotypes and traditional concepts that made it a taboo for mothers to talk about sex with their sons, it is still not easy for mothers to address sex-related problems with their sons. Sometimes they know the topic is necessary, but they cannot talk about it. This study identified the challenges that single go through and how it affects their ability to care for these adolescents to become responsible and successful adults. Doody and Noonan (2013) explain that society knows the problem exists, but the issue has not been given proper attention, even among scholars. It is evident that promoting public discourse on this issue, especially among scholars, can create avenues through which some of these single mothers can be assisted in the upbringing of their adolescent sons.
Significance of the Study
This research is of significance to American society. According to Wu, Appleman, Salazar, and Ong (2015), when parenting fails, it affects the entire community. In American society today, juvenile delinquency may not be as bad as it was in the 1980s and part of the 1990s (Leech, 2016). However, cases are still reported of adolescents who engage in the smuggling of drugs, burglary, robbery, and other criminal offenses. In most of the cases, the victims of such criminal acts are members of the public. Slonim (2014) argues that some male adolescents engage in criminal acts because they sympathize with their single mothers who have to work several jobs to provide for the family.
In their mind, they believe that engaging in such acts can help reduce the burden on their parents, especially if they can get enough cash that makes it unnecessary to ask for the same (Leech, 2016). The psychological trauma that some of these adolescents go through because of a lack of support from parents can transform them into dangerous criminals in society. In a study by Slonim (2014), most of the serial killers had unstable parenting. They grow up harboring bitterness against a section of the society, believing it was responsible for the pain they went through in their youth. They then try to revenge against these individuals. These are common cases when adolescents go to school with guns and then kill their innocent colleagues. Some of these cases are reported by the American media, while many others are not (Johnsen & Friborg, 2015). Failing to nurture these adolescent boys into responsible and law-abiding men is a danger to American society.
Psychologists in institutions of healthcare and guidance and counseling teachers will find this information critical in their fields. Stress-related health complications, such as high blood pressure, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases, are becoming common in the United States (Peleg, Vilchinsky, Fisher, Khaskia, & Mosseri, 2017). The African American females are some of the worst affected group, as Ebert et al. (2015) admit. One of the primary causes of stress among single parents is how to provide for the family while taking care of their childrens social and emotional needs (Cooper & Norcross, 2016). This document will provide important information on how psychologists can handle parents who are faced with such challenges. It will provide ways in which these parents can be supported in their parenting duties. Snyder (2016) explains that families that embrace specific religion may get the support needed from their community members. Instead of bearing the psychological burden alone, a parent can get the support of a church member to help address some of the emotional needs of an adolescent son (Johnsen & Friborg, 2015). Guidance and counseling teachers will find the document important when trying to meet the social and emotional needs of the adolescent boys at school. They will understand the factors that influence the relationship between adolescents and adults in a social setting.
The findings of this paper will help conform or dispute the relevance of theories developed by scholars in this field. Theories relating to single parenting and the unique challenges that African Americans go through in this society have been developed by various scholars (Williams & Smalls, 2015). However, it is important to appreciate that as society continues to experience social, economic, political, and technological changes, some of these theories become irrelevant (Cooper & Norcross, 2016). Through this study, it was possible to determine the relevance of the grounded theory, black psychology theory, and family systems theory in explaining the experience that single African American female parents go through and decisions that they sometimes take when faced with different challenges. The outcome of the study will explain the unique experience of single African American mothers of their relationship with adolescent sons.
Research Questions
In this qualitative study, it was important to develop research questions that helped collect data from various sources. The research questions should facilitate investigating the experience of single African American females when parenting their adolescent sons. The following is the primary research question that was based on the aim of the study:
How do single African-American sMothers experience their relationship with their adolescent sons?
The question was supported by sub-questions that focused on different experiences of these parents when parenting their sons. The following are the supportive questions that were used in collecting data:
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What is it like to be a single African American mother of an adolescent son?
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Describe your relationship with your adolescent son.
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What are the most important aspects of your relationship with your son?
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How has your relationship with your son changed over time?
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Has the relationship changed since your son became an adolescent, or has it remained the same?
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How do you typically communicate with your son?
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What other factors affect your relationship with your son?
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If you could change any aspect of your relationships, what would it be?
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Are there any other comments you wish to add or issues that you believe are important to discuss in relation to this topic?
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Research Design
The most appropriate design for this study was the qualitative research method. When investigating the experience of single African American females of being mothers to their adolescent sons, statistical analysis may be irrelevant (Ehde, Dillworth, & Turner, 2014). The experience of some parents may be so unique that it may not be possible to generalize through inferential statistics. Allowing them to explain these experiences and how they try to cope enabled the researcher to understand the pattern of the problem and how different stakeholders try to address it. Qualitative research design facilitated a comprehensive investigation of why the problem exists in this society and what can be done to address it (Johnsen & Friborg, 2015). It proposed how single African American mothers can parent their adolescent sons, with the help of teachers, religious leaders, and members of their community, in a way that minimizes the negative experiences. Qualitative data collected and analyzed identified areas of improvement needed to protect by members of the society to ensure that parenting of the adolescents becomes a communal responsibility other than being viewed as the sole responsibility of the parent (Cooper & Norcross, 2016). The chosen design should enable the researcher to achieve the objectives of the study.
Assumptions and Limitations
According to Haefner (2014), it is necessary to define the assumptions and limitations encountered when conducting research. One can easily understand the relevance of the study in case it is necessary to apply it in a given context. The following were the assumptions, limitations, and delimitations in this study:
Assumptions
Leech (2016) explains that different people have different experiences in parenting because of socioeconomic factors. However, the study assumed that most single African American females share the same experience when parenting their sons. Some of these single mothers also get direct financial and emotional support from their partners, family members, and fathers of their children (Johnsen & Friborg, 2015). However, the study assumed that these parents are not getting any form of emotional or financial support from their partners. The paper also assumes that American society still embraces race, gender, academic qualifications, and social status as defining factors. The paper presupposes that all the subjects of the study (single African American mothers) face the same problem of upbringing as a teenager. As Brown (2016a) observes, some teenagers are rebellious and very hostile, making the process of parenting more difficult. On the other hand, some teenagers are disciplined, intelligent, and understanding, making the experience of single mothers less painful. However, the paper assumes that all the teenage sons have a standard behavior.
Limitations
The research had limitations that should be discussed in this stage of the report. One of the main limitations was the time available for the study. America is a diverse country, even for people of color (Williams & Smalls, 2015). The experiences that a single African American mother has when parenting an adolescent son cannot be similar to that of a neighbor in the same city who faces the same predicament. It would be appropriate to conduct separate studies, classifying these single parents into different social classes to understand how their experiences vary. However, the limited time made it impossible to narrow down the study further. Another major limitation was finding the right people to help in collecting primary data. Convincing some of the parents to take part in the study was a challenge. As Leech (2016) explains, sometimes the experience of single parenting can be so painful that one finds it difficult to discuss it. Others are not proud of such status and do not easily admit that they are single mothers.
Delimitations
It was necessary to find a way of dealing with these challenges. As explained in the assumption section above, although socioeconomic status may make the experience of some single parents different, there are shared factors that make these single mothers face similar challenges in the upbringing of their adolescent sons (Cooper & Norcross, 2016). As such, it was not necessary to classify them further based on social status. The researcher worked closely with different schools to identify single African American mothers. It was easy to replace those who felt uncomfortable taking part in the study.
Chapter Summary
Chapter 1 provides a detailed discussion of the research background and the problem that the study seeks to address. It has eight sections. The first section provides a background of the problem and the need for the study. The next section discusses the need and purpose of the study. The significance of the research is also discussed to justify the project. Research questions and design are outlined. Assumptions, limitations, and definitions of terms are also provided in this chapter. The dissertation has five chapters. Chapter 1 provides the background of the study and the goal that should be achieved. Chapter 2 is a detailed review of the literature. Chapter 3 discusses the method used to collect and analyze data, while chapter 4 analyzes data collected from the respondents. Chapter 5 concludes the paper and provides recommendations.
Literature Review
Introduction
In this chapter, the focus is to provide a detailed review of the existing literature. The chapter starts with an explanation of the methods of research used to obtained secondary data sources. The chapter then provides a detailed review of existing theories. Black Psychology Theory and Family Systems Theory were found to be relevant in this paper. Factors that influence parenting of adolescents such as culture, social status, gender, level of discipline and academic excellence of a child, religious support, government support, personal relationship between mother and child are also discussed. The chapter provides a synthesis of research findings and a critique of previous research methods. It ends with a summary.
Methods of Searching
The literature review formed a critical part of the study. According to Benner et al. (2016), it is important to review findings made by other scholars when conducting research. The process not only provides background information but also identifies gaps in the existing knowledge. Sources used in this chapter were obtained from different books are reliable articles. The school library helped in finding the needed books and some journal articles. An online search also made it possible to find current articles on the research topic. Key-words such as single parenting, African American mothers, and parenting adolescents, among others, made it possible for the researcher to find useful materials for the study. Some of the databases that proved useful include Google Scholar, Journal Store (Jstor), Academic Search, Pro-Quest, and EBSCO Information Services. They provided books and journals recently published about single parenting, especially among African American women. Information obtained from these sources and findings obtained through the analysis of primary data informed the conclusion and recommendations made in the study.
Theoretical Orientation for the Study
It is necessary to analyze specific theories relevant to this research. According to Brody et al. (2014), theoretical orientation for the study offers a researcher a basis upon which ideas should be developed. Single African American females experience of being mothers to their adolescent sons can effectively be captured by different theories and concepts (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2013). Two theoretical concepts were found to be relevant to the research topic. They include Black Psychology Theory and Family Systems Theory. Each of them was analyzed and effectively applied to the context of the study.
Black Psychology Theory
One of the emerging theories that concepts have used to describe the American social setting is the Black Psychology Theory. According to Elliott et al. (2015), it explains the beliefs, behavior, attitude, interactions, and feelings of African Americans (Ford & Moore, 2013). It has developed over time, and as Barnett and Scaramella (2013) observe currently is based on the Black Americans social environment. It is the desire of every American of goodwill to champion a united society and committed to a common goal, as was defined by the founding fathers (Jarvis, George, & Holland, 2013). Every person always desires to act in a way that would bring the society together irrespective of the demographical differences that we have. However, it is unfortunate that having such a perfect society is impossible (Pierre & Jackson, 2014). People tend to identify with their gender, race, religion, and other demographical factors. Haefner (2014) believes that every time people narrow down on their principles to specific factors such as race, they cease to be patriotic Americans committed to promoting a unified society where everyone is treated with respect. As Cooper (2013) notes, the theory offers a perfect explanation, why African Americans are disadvantaged compared with other races in the country.
African Americans often find themselves on the defensive whenever the issue of racism emerges. According to Brannon, Markus, and Taylor (2015), American society is still divided along the racial line, with Blacks considered inferior to whites. It emerges from the history of Africans in America. Most of them came to the United States during the colonial era as slaves (Emmen et al., 2013). The society highly cherished the caste system by that time, and it meant that they could not climb the social ladder through any means basically because of their skin pigmentation. When the country gained independence, slavery was abolished, but the perception towards Black Americans never changed (Johnsen & Friborg, 2015). It took several decades for African American men to gain the right to vote in this country. However, that did not help counter the negative perception that whites had towards them (Duffy, Blustein, Diemer, & Autin, 2016). Blacks who emigrated from Africa to the United States since independence did little to change the perceptions that the society had towards them (Percy, Kostere, & Kostere, 2015). Most of them were job seekers willing to do anything at the least possible pay. It strengthened the narrative that these people can only be servants (Pauker, Apfelbaum, & Spitzer, 2015). Fast forward to the 20th century, American society is still segregated along the racial lines.
Family Systems Theory
When investigating single African American females experience of being mothers to their adolescent sons, one of the important concepts that cannot be ignored is the Bowens Family System Theory. It holds that people cannot be understood in isolation, but rather as part of a family (Wang & Kenny, 2014). There is a close interdependent and interconnectedness of individuals. Events that affect one individual also affect other individuals during the interaction. When a mother had a bad experience at work, the emotional instability may affect how she interacts with family members at home. The theory also explains the role of family members and expectations (Zimmerman et al., 2013). Parents are expected to provide for the family and offer protection and guidance. In a family with a single mother, the role of providing, protecting, and guiding falls on her. Working different jobs to provide for the family is not enough. Such a parent must also provide the emotional support that children need.
The experience of single female parents depends on the relationships developed with the child. When there is a close relationship between a mother and an adolescent son, it is easy for the parent to explain the difficulties the family is going through and ways in which she is trying to deal with them (Johnsen & Friborg, 2015). The son will also explain the socioeconomic challenges he is facing at school and home. The Family System Theory holds that when a positive relationship is inculcated, there will be minimal disagreement. Each party will understand the challenges of the other, and there will be a genuine effort to make the experience less painful. On the other hand, when there is a poor relationship between a mother and an adolescent son, cases of rebellion and disagreements become common. The theory is appropriate for this study.
Review of the Literature
Parenting is a widely researched topic, and other scholars have addressed some of the concepts that were investigated in this project. Barnett and Scaramella (2013) explain that socioeconomic and political changes in society mean that some realities have changed. According to Varner and Mandara (2013), a century ago, women in the United States were not allowed to vote, and only a few of them were active in the corporate world. However, that has changed. It means that the experiences that a single African American woman had when raising a son in 1930 is different from that in 2018 (Williams & Smalls, 2015). Although the study has been explored, these changes mean that revisiting the topic is important to understand the positive steps that have been made and areas that still need societys attention (Pachankis et al., 2015). This section reviews findings made by other scholars who investigated related topics.
Single Parenting in the United States
According to recent statistics, single parenting is becoming a common phenomenon in the United States. Williams and Smalls (2015) argue that single parenting may be caused by divorce, separation, incarceration of one partner, or death of a partner. According to Irvine et al. (2013), the primary causes of single parenting in the country are divorce and separation of the partners. Barnett and Scaramella (2013) argue that now more than ever, many marriages end up in divorce before their fifth year. The phenomenon is not unique, but the rate at which American marriages are ending in divorce or separation is worrying, as Barnett and Scaramella (2013) observe. Figure 1 below shows the statistics of the changing American families and how different groups are affected. The statistics show that the number of children living with an unmarried mother is consistently rising since the 1960s. In 1960, less than 10% of children were raised with unmarried mothers. The number has significantly increased to 24% in 2010 (Blankstein, Noguera, Kelly, & Tutu, 2016). The whites are the least affected group, although the problem is also becoming prevalent amongst them. In 1960, about 9% of white children were raised by unmarried mothers, as shown in the statistics below. The number has more than doubled to 19% in 2010 (Johnsen & Friborg, 2015). Hispanics are also experiencing a similar problem. In 1978, about 18 Hispanic children were raised by single mothers. The number is expected to increase as cases of divorce are on the rise.
The social problem of single parenting affects African American mothers than any other population in the United States. Since the 1960s, the number of African American children raised by single mothers has been more than twice the countrys average (Cooper & Norcross, 2016). The statistics in figure 1 below shows that the trend is not changing. In 1960, less than 10% of all American children were raised by single mothers. At that time, 20% of African American children were under the care of single mothers (Atzaba-Poria, Deater-Deckard, & Bell, 2014). In 1990, 54% of African American minors were parented by single mothers. At that time, the countrys average was 22%. As Leech (2016) explains, the problem is not as prevalent today as in the 1990s, but the Blacks are still the worst affected group. In 2010, 50% of African American children were parented by single mothers, while the countrys average was 24% (Benner et al., 2016). The prevalence of this problem among African Americans made it necessary to narrow down the study to this group because it is the worst affected.
Studies show that one of the leading causes of divorce and separation in the country is infidelity. According to Stinson (2013), modern technologies, especially the growing popularity of smartphones and other communication gadgets and software, have made it easy for couples to trace activities and determine if one is unfaithful. The rate at which men are cheating on their wives has not changed much, according to a study conducted by Nobles (2013). However, it is easier than ever for wives to determine if they are cheating. On the other hand, the rate at which women are cheating on their spouses has increased significantly in the modern society compared with the case a century ago (Johnsen & Friborg, 2015). The trend is attributed to the empowerment of women, especially those in the corporate world. They spend a lot of time at work and mingle with so many people, making it easy for them to get into illicit affairs (Williams & Smalls, 2015). Still, it does not mean that women are more promiscuous than men. The statistics only show that women empowerment has created platforms where women can easily cheat on their partners.
The emergence of social media platforms is another factor that is straining relationships. According to a report by Brown (2016b), social media can be very addictive. Some people cannot spend more than 30 minutes of their free time without visiting Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and WhatsApp. They are so addicted to social media that they no longer have time for their families (Jeynes, 2015). Traditionally, couples were expected to have family times together after work to di
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