Influence of Parental Factors on Self-Esteem of Adolescents from Separated Homes in Nigeria

Abstract

It has been established that family disintegration negatively impacts the self-esteem of children and adolescents. However, children and adolescents respond differently to the outcomes of separation due to personal characteristics and or parental factors. This inquiry aspired to explore how parental factors moderate the impact of separation on the self-worth of school going adolescents from separated families. It is an extension of the inquiry by Mustapha and Odediran (2019) that examined the impacts of parental separation on the self-Esteem of in-school adolescents in Nigeria. Participants are school-going adolescents between the ages of 10-20 years, predominantly female (165, 55%) and are largely selected from the public schools (200, 66%). The data gathered were subjected to analyses employing Factorial Analysis of Variance. Period of separation and custodian of adolescents moderate mildly the impacts of separation on the selfesteem of the respondents at ρ<0.05. However, the cause of separation, the custodian as well as mothers' level of education has interaction effects. On the within impact, those whose mother has primary school and university education differ significantly from others. The findings imply the need to focus on factors that promote family stability devoid of conflict and domestic violence as many of the parental factors examined cannot ameliorate the impact of separation on adolescents' self-esteem. Counselors should assist these adolescents in improving their self-esteem regardless of parental characteristics; take cognizance of the suitable strategies in handling the varying intensity of low self-esteem among such students.