The Effects of Single Parenting on the Psychosocial Development of Students in the Buea Municipality

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to find out the effects of single parenting on students’ psychosocial Development in Secondary schools in the Buea Sub-Division. Specifically, the study sought to examine the effect of parental control on student’s psychosocial development, to examine the effect of the socio-economic status of parents on student’s psychosocial development and to examine the effect of family size on student’s psychosocial development. Data was collected purposively, with the use of a questionnaire, from a sample population of 60students selected from three different schools. Data was descriptively analysed from the questionnaire by calculating frequencies and percentages. In the end, the findings of the study show that children from single parents lack parental control, which affects their psychosocial development, socio-economic status was also revealed to affect the psychosocial development of students while family size was not shown to have any effect on the psychosocial development of students. Following the findings, it was recommended that parents play a vital role in the development of their children in an attempt to socialize and help their children develop appropriately in life, parenting style as a matter in which parents express their beliefs, which will go a long way to affect their children positively or negatively.