Abstract
ABSTRACTBackgroundThe family as a unit of care has great effect in tackling adolescent problems and this could be influenced by family functioning.ObjectiveThis study assesses the relationship between adolescents’ family functioning with socio-demographic characteristics and behavioural risk factors.MethodThe research was a cross-sectional, hospital-based study carried out at the General Outpatients Department, University College Hospital (GOPD, UCH), Ibadan, over a period of three months. Four hundred subjects were recruited using a modified Guideline for Adolescent Preventive Services (GAPS) questionnaire, with an incorporated family APGAR (Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, Resolve) score table. The results were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 11 and the findings on the family assessment and behavioural risk factors were relayed to the respondents.ResultsThe ages of the adolescents ranged from 10 to 19 years. Of the subjects, 8% were sexually active. Mean age for first coitus among the respondents was 15 ± 2.4 years. The rate of ingestion of alcohol and cigarette smoking was very low. The family APGAR scores obtained revealed that 84.5% subjects were rated as having a functional family (7–10 points) and 15.5% of the subjects were rated as having a dysfunctional family (0–6 points). There was a significant association between perceived family function and subjects’ occupation (p = 0.01), parent social class (p = 0.00) and subjects’ sexual activities (p = 0.00).ConclusionThe majority of the adolescents were rated as having functional families. Dysfunctional families had significantly sexually active respondents.
Highlights
The ‘age of adolescence’ has long been a fashionable phrase in the developed world, and has been recognised as a period of physical changes leading to ostensible physical maturity, poor judgement, risktaking, strong peer influence and idealism.[1]In Africa and Asia, adolescence is less spoken about, most likely as a result of economic and cultural factors.[2]
The family APGAR scores obtained revealed that 84.5% subjects were rated as having a functional family (7–10 points) and 15.5% of the subjects were rated as having a dysfunctional family (0–6 points)
The questionnaire was face-validated and pretested on 20 adolescents presenting at General Outpatients Department (GOPD), University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan before the actual study was carried out, the subjects involved in the pre-test were not included in the study itself
Summary
The ‘age of adolescence’ has long been a fashionable phrase in the developed world, and has been recognised as a period of physical changes leading to ostensible physical maturity, poor judgement, risktaking, strong peer influence and idealism.[1]In Africa and Asia, adolescence is less spoken about, most likely as a result of economic and cultural factors.[2]. The ‘age of adolescence’ has long been a fashionable phrase in the developed world, and has been recognised as a period of physical changes leading to ostensible physical maturity, poor judgement, risktaking, strong peer influence and idealism.[1]. Adolescents constitute a group that is poorly identified in the health facilities of African countries and this has lead to their being grouped together with adults and a denial of the particular, personalised care they deserve. The family as a unit of care has great effect in tackling adolescent problems and this could be influenced by family functioning
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