Parent-Adolescent Relationship Enhancement Training: A Response to Adolescents Risk Behaviors in Kerala, India

Abstract

Recent findings revealed that the causes of adolescent involvement in risk behaviors are lack of love, support, warmth and acceptance from their parents (Newby S Deepshikha & Bhanot, 2011).Aggressive behaviors were most common among adolescents in the early ages; their aggression is mostly against family, school property, classmates, and teachers. Hitting, pushing, spreading rumors, engaging in school fights, excluding a peer from a group, poor control of emotions, social withdrawal, and hitting a peer to get money were some of the common aggressive behaviors (Rew, Horner, & Brown, 2011;Yeh, 2011). Rule breaking behaviors were considered as the next level of risk behavior. Adolescents were breaking the normal expectations of the family, school, and society and were violating clearly defined regulations. Selfinjurious behavior such as burning the skin, limb hitting and bruising, head banging, picking at wounds, peeling the skin, deep biting, severe skin scratching, were found to be increasing tremendously among adolescents (Ohlemeyer & Wildeisen, 2005).Adolescents who experience lack of normal parental love, care, and warmth develop negative perception about themselves, their family, and their parents (Okorodudu & Nwamaka, 2010). Having unstable and unaccepting familial contexts would be like pouring oil on this burning flame (Saxena, Srivastava & Naithani, 2011).As a result of it the adolescents would develop the tendency to engage in aggressive, rule-breaking, and self-destructive behaviors(Bolognini, Plancherel, Laget, & Haifon, 2003).These were fostered by their belief that others were interfering with their independence and autonomy (Zhang & Arvey, 2009).In Asian culture parents use more punishments and exercise higher control and authority to coax the best performance from their children, which make the children rebellious and delinquent (Okorodudu & Nwamaka, 2010). There is also much evidence to prove that parental unpreparedness to deal with transitional changes that adolescents were going through lead to an affectionless style of parenting (McKinney, Donnelly & Renk, 2008). This would lessen the emotional bonding between parents and adolescents, causing the adolescents to internalize and externalize different problems (McKinney, & Renk, (2011).Adolescence is a challenging period for parents and teenagers (Coley, Votruba-Drzal, & Schindler, 2009). It is a warning to the elders to prepare their children for adaptation and to help them develop the capacities and skills they need to cope with the changes they are going through(Bolognini, Plancherel, Laget, & Halfen, 2003) . During this time parental reaction to adolescent transitions would depend on how prepared the parents were (Spring, Rosen & Matheson (2002). Lack of parental awareness about the external and internal changes experienced by the adolescents during their transition could cause breakdown in their relationship (Shearer, Crouter, & McHale, 2005).In such a situation, parental education would help the parents to develop the skills needed to relate with their adolescents (Bunting, 2004) .A family-based and attachment-focused intervention program would help to improve family unity, communication, and coping skills (Accordino, Keat II & Guemey, 2003). It will also support the development of a healthy adjustment between adolescents and their parents (Moretti, Holland,& Moore, 2002). According to Moss et al. (2012) an attachment-based intervention program is more effective in reducing internal and external behavioral problems among adolescents because it is based on improving parental sensitivity and child security. …