A Single Mother's Struggles: Transcended

   When discussing the possible things that can happen in life that youth have no real control over is the presence of a father or father figure and the possible effects that it can have.  The University of London did a study on the effects of not having a positive male role model and the effects it would have on the youth that had to watch with little control of the situation, and the study said that single mothers were twice as likely to be in financial hardship, despite being twice as likely to be in full-time employment in comparison to their married counterparts.  It was also found that single mothers are more likely to be onset of depression and experience "chronic episodes" due to the psychological and psychosocial stresses of being a single mother living in the inner city while trying to provide the best opportunity for their children.  A joint study by the Universities of Utah and Illinois at Chicago had a slightly different point of view.  Those studies suggested that while a single parent household does have its challenges, boys in single-mother families were at greater risk for developing behavior problems than boys in two-parent families.  The risks that came with being a single mother were offset by having structured family environment, as well as a disciplinary strategy that allowed for some degree of self government, and the positive involvement of a male family member.  The only flaw in that argument is that since the single parent is more than likely to be employed full-time, the youth doesn't see the parent as much, thus the disciplinary structure withers away slowly due to inconsistent physical presence.  Once the structure and discipline are diminished, the youth will then attempt to find that discipline and cohesiveness outside of the home.

   This plays an important role due to the fact that everything that the mother goes through, the child actively sees.  Based on the love that a child has for their mother, different thoughts circle through these young people's minds and leaves them wanting to help to relieve the pain as quickly as possible; which is one of the reasons why the inner city youth tend to be criminally oriented because many of them are merely trying to better their situations, not knowing that it is hurting them in the long run.  In the inner city, most if not all areas are in constant despair and the youth are exposed daily to drugs and drug abuse, violence and a social negligence that comes with this type of environment. 

UL Study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9122302
UIC Study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1998.tb06222.x/abstract