Sole Parent Research Articles

The Effects of Broken Home On the Academic Performance of Students in Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria: A Study of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro

The major institution for humans is the family, also known as a household or home. This study investigated how broken household might affect the academic performance of students in the tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The study was conducted among the undergraduates of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, Nigeria. Specifically, ND II students of the School of Pure and Applied Sciences and the School of Management Studies were engaged in the study. 100 students were randomly selected from each of the Schools making a total of 200 respondents. A questionnaire was adopted to obtain information from the respondents. Using the descriptive research design, findings show that students from broken homes commonly engage in unruly and unacceptable behaviors in school and often face possibility of being rusticated or expelled from the school, Furthermore, such students suffer academic and emotional challenges and they usually perform poorly in their academic activities. it suggested that several of the elements that create poor academic performance associated with a separation, such as family’s income, trust issues and uneasiness between partners, and this ought to be curtailed in order to lessen the chance of a shattered household. Students from broken homes should be properly monitored, secured, and controlled by their supervisors and sole caregivers and parents ought to be educated on the importance of remaining married as partners in order to have a decent household. In marriage, they must persist and endure one another.

Use of nicotine replacement therapy to reduce children’s exposure to second-hand smoke in the home: a qualitative pilot study involving local community pharmacies

BackgroundIn Scotland, and in several other countries, most second-hand smoke exposure now occurs in low-income households, where housing constraints and sole parenting often make it harder to create a smoke-free home. This pilot study provided people who smoke with a free 12-week supply of nicotine replacement therapy through local community pharmacies to reduce smoking indoors.MethodsTwenty-five parents/caregivers who smoked in the home and cared for children at least weekly were recruited via Facebook during the COVID-19 pandemic. Air quality (PM2.5) was monitored in participant homes for seven days before their first pharmacy visit and 12 weeks later. Qualitative interviews (N = 14) were conducted with 13 participants who completed the study and one who withdrew part-way through. The interviews explored views/experiences of using nicotine replacement therapy to help create a smoke-free home. Another participant took part in a shorter telephone discussion at their request, with detailed notes taken by the interviewer, because of their speech disorder.ResultsThree participants reported smoking outdoors only, one of whom subsequently quit smoking. Six participants reported reduced cigarette consumption by 50% in the home, four reported no (sustained) reduction and one reported increased smoking indoors. Self-reported outcomes were not always consistent with PM2.5 readings. Participants’ experiences of accessing nicotine replacement therapy through community pharmacies varied. Some suggested ongoing support to use nicotine replacement products could better assist behavioural change, and that access could be streamlined by posting products to the home. Several suggested that focusing on changing home smoking behaviours using nicotine replacement therapy might facilitate a future quit attempt.ConclusionAccess to free nicotine replacement therapy for temporary use indoors may support some people who smoke to reduce children’s exposure to second-hand smoke. Our findings confirm the need to modify the intervention before undertaking a definitive trial to assess the effectiveness of this approach. This work is now underway.

H03 Madam C.J. Walker and her wonderful hair grower

Abstract Madam C.J. Walker was born Sarah Breedlove in December 1867 in Louisiana, USA. She was the first child in her family born to freedom following the abolition of slavery in the USA in 1865. She was orphaned at the age of 7 years and began working as a domestic servant at the age of 10 years. She married when she was 14 years old and became the sole parent of a 2-year-old daughter following the death of her husband in 1887. Seeking a way out of poverty, in 1889, she moved to St Louis, Missouri, where her four brothers were barbers. During the 1890s, she developed significant hair loss. In an attempt to tackle the said hair loss, she consulted her brothers for advice and experimented with many homemade remedies and store-bought products. In 1906, she married Charles Joseph Walker and became known as Madam C.J. Walker. By this time, she had developed her own formula to heal scalps and spur hair growth specifically for Black women who had been overlooked by the beauty and haircare industries. The initial product was known as ‘Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower’, which she began selling in 1907. Ingredients included precipitated sulfur, copper sulfate, beeswax, petroleum jelly, coconut oil and a violet extract perfume to cover the sulfur smell. At the time, sulfur was commonly used to treat dandruff. Along with her hair grower, Walker’s early products included Glossine (a pressing oil) and a vegetable shampoo. She urged clients to shampoo more often and to follow her ‘Walker System’, using the hair grower, oil and hot combs to make ‘lacklustre and brittle hair become softer’. Her products became widely used and her strong customer base led her to becoming the USA’s first self-made female millionaire. She died due to kidney failure in 1919. Her company still exists under the name Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture. Madam C.J. Walker was not a dermatologist and was not medically trained, but she was one of the first people to pay attention to the issue of hair loss experienced by Black women. Over 100 years later, the field of dermatology is still trying to address the lack of attention and research given to presentations in those with skin of colour.

Influence of Single Parenting on Self-Efficacy of Adolescents: A Comparative Study of Broken and Intact Households

This research is a cross-sectional quantitative research design to examine how the social progress of the adolescents especially their self-efficacy was more strongly associated with single parents or intact families and to investigate in what way the absenteeism of either of the two parentages can affect the age, education, family size, and birth order. Adolescents of sole and intact domestic setup, both men, and women (N=320, 160 young from sole parents and 160 young from dual parentage) were involved in the survey asking about their self-efficacy. The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) by Schwarzer and Jerusalen was utilized to gather data. Information was scrutinized using SPSS. An important change was evident in the self-efficacy of adolescents having both parents over youngsters with sole parents. A relationship not very strong was visible amid age, schooling, and self-efficacy. For the order of birth, it was seen that adolescents having both parents remained more statistically related than teenagers having only parents. The results approved a sturdy household arrangement to strengthen intact families working by stressing the combined domestic relations that exclusively help boost both marital and paternal and maternal grandparents and grandchild relationships. The sociologists and teachers occupied with step-parentages must pay attention to both endorsing pessimistic approaches like passionate dealings, robust matrimonial bondage, and self-assurance in marriages.

'I didn't know what was in front of me'-Bereaved parents' experience of adapting to life when a co-parent of dependent children has died with cancer.

It is not clear how the bereaved parent navigates life with the children after a co-parent has died. The objective of this study is to explore bereaved parents' experience of managing life when a co-parent of dependent children has died with cancer. Twenty-one in-depth interviews were conducted with bereaved parents when a co-parent died with cancer. Data were analysed thematically. Bereaved parents highlighted how their children was their key focus after the death of a co-parent with cancer, as they effortfully strived to be a 'perfect parent'. While some bereaved parents struggled to adapt to the role as a sole parent, others described the importance of maximising social networks to help with the practical aspects of parenting. However, most bereaved parents described intense feelings of loneliness as they navigated parenting alone. To help navigate this post-bereavement period, parents considered it important for their children to openly talk about the deceased parent. Also, meeting others who have experienced similar situations was helpful for the bereaved parent and children, providing hope for the future. Results are discussed under two themes: (1) adapting to life without the parent, and (2) a desire to keep the memory alive of the parent that died with cancer. Bereaved parents should be encouraged to practice self-care when a co-parent has died from cancer so they can appropriately meet the needs of their children. Bereaved parents should be reassured that showing emotion in front of the children is helpful and could facilitate better grief experiences for the whole family.

CN25 Bereaved parents’ experience of adapting to life after the death of a parent with cancer who has dependent children

Bereavement is often a period of major transition for individuals. Where a parent of dependent children has died with cancer, the bereaved parent is navigating their own and each of their children’s grief. Dependent children are more susceptive to adverse psychological reactions following the death of a parent. However appropriate familial support can mediate for such reactions, especially that of the bereaved parent. Through the lens of the bereaved parent, the aim of this study is to explore bereaved parents’ experience of adapting to life when a parent of dependent children has died with cancer. 23 in-depth interviews were conducted with bereaved parents when a co-parent died with cancer. Data were analysed using Braun and Clake’s reflexive thematic analysis approach. Bereaved parents highlighted the children as their key focus after the death of a parent with cancer, as they effortfully strived to be a ‘perfect parent’. While some bereaved parents struggled to adapt to the role as a sole parent, others described the importance of maximising social networks to help with the practical aspects of parenting. However, most bereaved parents described intense feelings of loneliness as they navigated parenting alone. To help navigate this post-bereavement period, bereaved parents considered it important for their children to openly talk about the deceased parent. Also, meeting others who have experienced similar situations was helpful for the bereaved parent and children, providing hope for the future. Results are discussed under two themes: (1) adapting to life without the parent, and (2) keeping the memory alive of the parent that died with cancer. The bereaved parent is central to helping their children navigate grief following the death of a co-parent with cancer. Bereaved parents should be reassured that showing emotion in front of the children is healthy and could facilitate better grief experiences for the whole family. Bereaved parents should be encouraged to practice self-care when a co-parent has died from cancer so they can appropriately meet the needs of their children.

Surrogacy regulation: Trends in international and Russian law

Surrogacy regulation: Trends in international and Russian law

A proposed alternative dynamical history for 2P/Encke that explains the taurid meteoroid complex

ABSTRACT The Taurid Meteoroid Complex (TMC) is a broad stream of meteoroids that produces several annual meteor showers on Earth. If the linkage between these showers and 2P/Encke is at the centre of most TMC models, the small size and low activity of the comet suggest that 2P/Encke is not the unique parent body of the Taurids. Here, we simulate the formation of the TMC from 2P/Encke and several NEAs. In total, we explored more than a hundred stream formation scenarios using clones of 2P/Encke. Each modelled stream was integrated and compared with present-day Taurid observations. As previously reported, we find that even slight variations of 2P/Encke’s orbit modifie considerably the characteristics of the simulated showers. Most of the comet’s clones, including the nominal one, appear to reproduce the radiant structure of the Taurid meteors but do not match the observed time and duration of the showers. However, the radiants and timing of most Taurid showers are well reproduced by a particular clone of the comet. Our analysis thus suggest that with this specific dynamical history, 2P/Encke is the sole parent of the four major TMC showers that have ages from 7 to 21 ka. Our modelling also predicts that the 2022 Taurid Resonant Swarm return will be comparable in strength to the 1998, 2005, and 2015 returns. While purely dynamical models of Encke’s orbit – limited by chaos – may fail to reveal the comet’s origin, its meteor showers may provide the trail of breadcrumbs needed to backtrack our way out of the labyrinth.

A Time and Reliability Optimization Algorithm for Workflow Scheduling in Heterogeneous Distributed Computing System

In the heterogeneous distributed computing systems, efficient task scheduling is necessary for high performance. System reliability and completion time are generally the two important metrics. In this paper, we proposed an algorithm named Merging and Duplication for Makespan and Reliability (MDMR) which combines task merging and task duplication to achieve single-objective constrained optimization of workflow reliability and completion time. The MDMR algorithm is divided into three phases: task merging, entry task duplication and reliability detection with nonentry task duplication. In the task merging phase, two tasks with a sole parent–child relationship are merged into a single task, then this process is iterated until no tasks satisfy the merging condition, thus simplifying the directed acyclic graph. In the entry task duplication phase, the entry task with the lowest reliability is duplicated on the processors, which are available at that moment to increase the reliability while reducing the workflow completion time. In the reliability detection and nonentry task duplication phase, the current workflow scheduling reliability is first calculated, then the result is directly output if the reliability is higher than the target value, otherwise the nonentry task duplication is executed with the aim of increasing the reliability until the value surpasses the target. According to the experimental results, MDMR dominates the compared algorithms and ensures that the entire workflow achieves the target reliability and shortens the workflow makespan as much as possible.

Weathering the storm alone or together: Examining the impact of COVID-19 on sole and partnered working mothers.

Sole employed mothers and their families face numerous challenges. Yet, the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID‐19 pandemic may be adding additional risk to the already precarious day‐to‐day reality of this population. Thus, we examine the implications of this crisis for the mental health and job‐related well‐being of both sole and partnered working mothers. Participants were 206 mothers who continued to work during the pandemic. A moderated mediation model was analyzed. Work‐family conflict (WFC) during the pandemic differentially related to mothers’ parenting stress, based on romantic partnership status; when mothers were sole parents, the relationship between WFC and parenting stress was exacerbated. Moreover, this stress mediated the relationship between WFC and both poor mental health and decreased work engagement for sole employed mothers. Findings broaden our understanding of the implications of the COVID‐19 pandemic for sole and partnered employed mothers, and how this crisis may be increasing disparities between working sole‐parent and dual‐partner families.

Plastome phylogenomics of Allaeanthus, Broussonetia and Malaisia (Dorstenieae, Moraceae) and the origin of B.× kazinoki.

Species of Broussonetia have been essential in the development of papermaking technology. In Japan and Korea, a hybrid between B. monoica and B. papyrifera (= B. × kazinoki) known as kōzo and daknamu is still the major source of raw materials for making traditional paper washi and hanji, respectively. Despite their cultural and practical significance, however, the origin and taxonomy of kōzo and daknamu remain controversial. Additionally, the long-held generic concept of Broussonetia s.l., which included Sect. Allaeanthus and Sect. Broussonetia, was challenged as phylogenetic analyses showed Malaisia is sister to the latter section. To re-examine the taxonomic proposition that recognizes Allaeanthus, Broussonetia, and Malaisia (i.e., Broussonetia alliance), plastome and nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) sequences of six species of the alliance were assembled. Characterized by the canonical quadripartite structure, genome alignments and contents of the six plastomes (160,121-162,594bp) are highly conserved, except for the pseudogenization and/or loss of the rpl22 gene. Relationships of the Broussonetia alliance are identical between plastome and nrDNA trees, supporting the maintenance of Malaisia and the resurrection of Allaeanthus. The phylogenomic relationships also indicate that the monoecy in B. monoica is a derived state, possibly resulting from hybridization between the dioecious B. kaempferi (♀) and B. papyrifera (♂). Based on the hypervariable ndhF-rpl32 intergenic spacer selected by sliding window analysis, phylogeographic analysis indicates that B. monoica is the sole maternal parent of B. × kazinoki and that daknamu carries multiple haplotypes, while only one haplotype was detected in kōzo. Because hybridizations between B. monoica and B. papyrifera are unidirectional and have occurred rarely in nature, our data suggest that daknamu might have originated via deliberate hybrid breeding selected for making hanji in Korea. On the contrary, kōzo appears to have a single origin and the possibility of a Korean origin cannot be ruled out.

Investigating the potential of solar energy for low-income communities in Australia to reduce hardship, debt and inequality

Microgeneration offers potential for low-income households to access lower-priced electricity and alleviate energy poverty. This paper explores provision of small-scale photovoltaics (sPV) in community social housing, and how self-generated electricity is integrated into routines by sole parent low-income households – a cohort most vulnerable to rising electricity prices. Using a mixed methods approach, this exploratory study investigates the implications of distributed sPV for household electricity consumption, expenditure, and provision of sufficient energy services to achieve thermal comfort, improved health and wellbeing. Results are presented from an analysis of in-depth interviews with eight households in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, and real-time monitoring of selected households’ electricity usage. Drawing on the concepts of co-production and value co-creation, user experiences are discussed along with the potential for reducing energy hardship and debt. Analysis shows provision of sPV technology may not lead to desired changes in the way electricity is used to reduce electricity bills, due to competing values in use. This exemplary study revealed several key technical, social and systemic challenges for tenants and social housing providers, including: constraints on self-managing energy production and consumption, weaknesses in industry/institutional processes, low engagement with the wider electricity market, and need for tailored approach for tenants to achieve better functional outcomes.

Risk factors of unintentional injury among children in New Zealand: a systematic review

ObjectiveTo identify contemporary studies investigating multifaceted and inter‐linked contributory frameworks for unintentional injuries among children in New Zealand. MethodsA literature review was performed in seven databases. Studies published in English up to February 2020 reporting risk factors for child injury in New Zealand were included. Eligible study designs included: cohort, case‐control and case‐crossover studies. The quality of studies was assessed using the GATE frame tool. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses) reporting guidelines were followed. ResultsThirteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, dating from 1977 to 2008. The factors associated with child injury (0 to 14 years) included socioeconomic disadvantage, number of children, younger maternal age and sole parents. Vehicle speed and traffic volume were associated with an increased risk of driveway‐related pedestrian injury. ConclusionThe review findings have reinforced the need for cross‐agency action to address the social determinants of child injury. Implications for public healthContemporary longitudinal studies are needed to assist in understanding how the interactions between children, family and their wider societal context affect their risk of experiencing injury over time.

DESIGN OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY TRAINING FOR SINGLE PARENTS OF WEDORO SIDOARJO SHOE WORKERS

Work safety for workers is very important to be fulfilled in terms of complete personal protective equipment such as boots, and at least with the use of masks. This is important because the effects that arise when the use of personal protective equipment is not used properly can interfere with health. One of them is the shoe craftsman Wedoro Sidoarjo. This made the researchers make a training plan for single parents of shoe craftsmen in Wedoro Sidoarjo to pay more attention to work safety if not done with the right standards it will affect the children at home. The implementation of this training was made based on the results of interviews with the sole parent of shoe craftsman Wedoro Sidoarjo. This training can be done in groups. Implementation carried out in groups will look like real social life. The number of participants from group training should be no more than 16 people because the number of groups that are too large will result in the ineffectiveness of the training (Kelly, 1982; Michelson, et al. 1985; Ramdhani, 2015). This training was conducted at the Nur Rahma Sidoarjo Foundation by 16 single parents. Participants will be given knowledge about good parenting styles for children, knowing the principles of child development, and occupational health and safety. Each material provided will include games, roleplay, and watching movies.

Beyond secrecy and openness: telling a relational story about children’s best interests in donor-conceived families

Over the past two decades, there has been increasing demand for openness in policy and practice relating to donor-conceived families. With the benefits of openness now widely discussed, and often legally mandated, it is timely to explore the challenges families face in enacting openness when donor assisted conception is still a complex legal and social issue. Our premise is that the difficulties associated with enacting openness should be subject to at least as much scrutiny as the secrecy of past practices. To make our case, we draw on qualitative, socio-legal and sociological research with same-sex, sole parent and heterosexual donor-conceived families in the UK and Australia. We argue that exhortations to openness about donor conception ignore important relational considerations of families if they rely on a moral discourse that being open is the right thing to do, devoid of any context about how, when and by whom this is achieved. Demands for openness need to take into account the situated care relationships of family members, the timing of and manner in which information is imparted, and the fact that this information can fundamentally disrupt or transform the family lives of those to whom it is revealed.

The Church and Single Parenting in Africa

Single parenting involves a sole parent who cares for children without the help of the other parent. The challenge of single parenting has negative effects on parents and the children alike. The death of a spouse, divorce, wars desertion, rape, sexual harassment and violent crisis are factors for this debacle. In such situation, the remaining parent not only inherits the responsibilities of the missing parent, but also takes custody of their children, in addition to his/her own roles as father or mother. Marriage ought to be imbibed as a standard for a godly society. Single parenting is not a thing to joke with or take with levity because of its scorching heat on both parents and children. Without mincing words, this phenomenon is eating deep into the African society; this makes the response of the Church logical. The study posits that it is important for African Christians to understand the biblical stance concerning marriage; so that intentional act of single parenting can be curbed.

Social prescribing: A call to action.

> R.E. presents to her family physician with several concerns. She has high blood pressure and illness suggestive of generalized anxiety disorder with depressed mood. R.E.’s family physician understands that R.E. is a sole parent for 3 young children: “I wish I could get out of the house or book

The Redistributive Effects of a Minimum Wage Increase in New Zealand: A Microsimulation Analysis

AbstractThis paper examines the potential effects on inequality and poverty of a minimum wage increase, based on a microsimulation model that captures the details of household composition and the income tax and welfare benefit system and allows for labour supply responses. Results suggest that, largely due to the composition of household incomes, a policy of increasing the minimum wage has a relatively small effect on the inequality of income per adult equivalent person, and a money metric utility measure, using several inequality indices. Hence, the minimum wage policy does not appear to be particularly well targeted, largely due to many low wage earners being secondary earners in higher income households, while many low income households have no wage earners at all. These results are reinforced when allowing for wage spillovers further up the wage distribution. Nevertheless, a minimum wage increase can have a more substantial effect on some poverty measures for sole parents in employment.

Understanding the association between parental attitudes and the practice of female genital mutilation among daughters.

Female genital mutilation is a harmful traditional practice that violates girls' right to health and overall well-being. Most research cites social acceptance, marriageability, community belonging, proof of virginity, curbing promiscuity, hygiene, and religion as motivations for the practice. It is generally assumed that individual attitudes of parents and other family members have an impact on decisions related to the cutting of girls, and that such attitudes are influenced by social norms. The aim of this study is to understand how parental attitudes towards the practice of female genital mutilation influence decision making related to the cutting of girls. Data from 15 Demographic and Health Surveys were analyzed to assess whether couples with at least one living daughter aged 0 to 14 years share the same opinions about the continuation of the practice, and to what extent couples' opinions are associated with the risk of daughters being cut. The analysis reveals that a significant percentage of couples hold discordant opinions on the continuation of the practice including in countries where the practice is very common. While a daughter's likelihood of being cut is much higher when both parents think the practice should continue, the analysis also shows that many cut girls have parents who oppose the practice. It further suggests that female genital mutilation is more prevalent among daughters whose mothers want the practice to continue and whose fathers are opposed or undecided, compared to daughters with fathers who are the sole parent supporting its continuation. Understanding the extent to which parental opinions influence decisions and which girls are most likely to be cut is essential for developing appropriate interventions aimed at promoting the abandonment of the practice.

Ageing and Declining Rates of Home Ownership: Twin Threats to Housing Assistance

ABSTRACTThis paper combines forecasts of Australia’s population with microsimulation and tenure choice models to generate estimates of housing assistance demand from older Australians in 2031. Our projections suggest that singles retreat from home ownership, while rental tenures become increasingly feminised by 2031 as they turn into the tenures of (constrained) choice for a growing proportion of singles and sole parents. Even if home ownership declines by a modest 5 percentage points, real government expenditure on Commonwealth Rent Assistance for Australians aged 55 years and over in 2031 is projected to be more than three times its level in 2011.