Abstract
Adolescent development is affected, not only by individual factors but by the broader social environment in which families live. This raises the following questions: how do changing dynamics of familial life influence adolescent development and how is the effect of family change similar or different across countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)? This chapter examines the influence of familial changes on adolescent development in SSA. The role of families in the lives and decision-making processes of adolescent is often underestimated, especially by policy makers. Although the transition to greater independence is a hallmark of adolescent development, families clearly have a role and exert significant influence on the choices young people make about their sexual behaviour. The issue of adolescent development is particularly important in SSA, because the region is experiencing rapid changes in family life and because there are more young people in the region than ever before. This chapter engages with the issue of adolescent development by applying the family composition perspective. In this chapter analysis of demographic and health survey data from 12 selected countries in SSA supports the family composition perspective as an explanatory framework, to better understand the influences of the changing dynamics of familial life on the development of young people. I find that the protective role of the presence of two parents in the household varied among the regions that were studied when adolescent development is operationalized as protective sexual behaviour (condom use and age-disparate relationship).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Anglin, T., Halper-Felsher, B., Kaplan, D. W., & Newcomer, S. (2011). The science of adolescent risk-taking: Workshop report. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53418/.
Bigombe, B., & Khadiagala, G. M. (2003). Major trends affecting families in sub-Saharan Africa. In United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Ed.), Major trends affecting families: A background document (pp. 164–187). New York: United Nations.
Cherlin, A. J., & Furstenberg, F. F., Jr. (1994). Stepfamilies in the United States: A reconsideration. Annual review of sociology, 20(1), 359–381.
Coetzee, J., Dietrich, J., Otwombe, K., Nkala, B., Khunwane, M., van der Watt, M., & Gray, G. E. (2014). Predictors of parent–adolescent communication in post-apartheid South Africa: A protective factor in adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Journal of Adolescence, 37(3), 313–324.
Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95–S120.
Doyle, A. M., Mavedzenge, S. N., Plummer, M. L., & Ross, D. A. (2012). The sexual behaviour of adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa: Patterns and trends from national surveys. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 17(7), 796–807.
Fernández, A. M., Celis-Atenas, K., Córdova-Rubio, N., Dufey, M., Corrêa, V. M., & Benedetti, P. F. J. (2013). Youth sexuality: Behaviors, attitudes and differences by sex and personality variables in Chilean university students. Revista Médica de Chile, 141(2), 160–166.
Goodrum, N. M., Armistead, L. P., Tully, E. C., Cook, S. L., & Skinner, D. (2017). Parenting and youth sexual risk in context: The role of community factors. Journal of Adolescence, 57, 1–12.
Inazu, J. K., & Fox, G. L. (1980). Maternal influence on the sexual behavior of teen-age daughters: Direct and indirect sources. Journal of Family Issues, 1(1), 81–102.
Kajula, L. J., Sheon, N., De Vries, H., Kaaya, S. F., & Aarø, L. E. (2014). Dynamics of parent–adolescent communication on sexual health and HIV/AIDS in Tanzania. AIDS and Behavior, 18(1), 69–74.
Killoren, S. E., Updegraff, K. A., & Christopher, F. S. (2011). Family and cultural correlates of Mexican-origin youths’ sexual intentions. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(6), 707–718. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9587-5.
Lohman, B. J., & Billings, A. (2008). Protective and risk factors associated with adolescent boys’ early sexual debut and risky sexual behaviors. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37(6), 723–735. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9283-x.
Marks, L. D., & Clarke-Mitchell, J. F. (2016). A qualitative study of the black mother-daughter relationship lessons learned about self-esteem, coping, and resilience. Journal of Black Studies. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934716629339.
Masten, A. S., Best, K. M., & Garmezy, N. (2008). Resilience and development: Contributions from the study of children who overcome adversity. Development and Psychopathology, 2(4), 425–444. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579400005812.
McLanahan, S., & Sandefur, G. (1994). Growing up with a single parent. What hurts, what helps. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Mmari, K., & Sabherwal, S. (2013). A review of risk and protective factors for adolescent sexual and reproductive health in developing countries: An update. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53(5), 562–572.
Mohanty, J. (2013). Ethnic and racial socialization and self-esteem of Asian adoptees: The mediating role of multiple identities. Journal of Adolescence, 36(1), 161–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.10.003.
Nash, J. K., Mujanovic, E., & Winfree, L. T., Jr. (2011). Protective effects of parental monitoring on offending in victimized youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Child & Youth Services, 32(3), 224–242.
Rhucharoenpornpanich, O., Chamratrithirong, A., Fongkaew, W., Rosati, M. J., Miller, B. A., & Cupp, P. K. (2010). Parenting and adolescent problem behaviors: A comparative study of sons and daughters in Thailand. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet, 93(3), 293.
Rich, S. D. (2017). The silent epidemic: A child psychiatrist’s journey beyond death row. Morrisville: Lulu Press.
Sawyer, S. M., Afifi, R. A., Bearinger, L. H., Blakemore, S.-J., Dick, B., Ezeh, A. C., & Patton, G. C. (2012). Adolescence: A foundation for future health. The Lancet, 379(9826), 1630–1640. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60072-5.
Sharp, C., & Dellis, A. (2010). Risky teens: Intervention science and its application to the South African context. South Africa. Report Commissioned by the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation.
Shulman, S., & Connolly, J. (2013). The challenge of romantic relationships in emerging adulthood reconceptualization of the field. Emerging Adulthood, 1(1), 27–39.
Sidze, E. M., Elungata’a, P., Maina, B. W., & Mutua, M. M. (2015). Does the quality of parent–child connectedness matter for adolescents’ sexual behaviors in Nairobi informal settlements? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44(3), 631–638.
Smith, A. R., Chein, J., & Steinberg, L. (2013). Impact of socio-emotional context, brain development, and pubertal maturation on adolescent risk-taking. Hormones and Behavior, 64(2), 323–332.
Stark, L., Tan, T. M., Muldoon, K. A., King, D., Lamin, D. F. M., Lilley, S., & Wessells, M. G. (2016). Family structure and sexual and reproductive health outcomes among adolescents in rural Sierra Leone. Global Public Health, 11(3), 309–321.
Sturgeon, S. W. (2002). The relationship between family structure and adolescent sexual activity. Age, 15(19), 100.
UNICEF. (2016). Turning the tide against AIDS will require more concentrated focus on adolescents and young people: Current status and progress.
Van Campen, K. S., & Romero, A. J. (2012). How are self-efficacy and family involvement associated with less sexual risk taking among ethnic minority adolescents? Family Relations, 61(4), 548–558.
Van De Bongardt, D., De Graaf, H., Reitz, E., & Deković, M. (2014). Parents as moderators of longitudinal associations between sexual peer norms and Dutch adolescents’ sexual initiation and intention. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55(3), 388–393.
Viner, R. M., Ozer, E. M., Denny, S., Marmot, M., Resnick, M., Fatusi, A., & Currie, C. (2012). Adolescence and the social determinants of health. The Lancet, 379(9826), 1641–1652.
Walker, J.-A. (2012). Early marriage in Africa-trends, harmful effects and interventions. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 16(2), 231–240.
Widman, L., Noar, S. M., Choukas-Bradley, S., & Francis, D. B. (2014). Adolescent sexual health communication and condom use: A meta-analysis. Health Psychology, 33(10), 1113.
Woog, V., & Kågesten, A. (2017). The sexual and reproductive health needs of very young adolescents aged 10–14 in developing countries: What does the evidence show? Retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/srh-needs-very-young-adolescents-report_0.pdf
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Somefun, O.D. (2020). Family Changes and Adolescent Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Odimegwu, C. (eds) Family Demography and Post-2015 Development Agenda in Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14887-4_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14887-4_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-14886-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-14887-4
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)