The Effects of an Absent Mother on a Teenager
A mother is one of the most influential persons in the life of a young person. The loss of a mother, therefore, can be a momentous event in a teenager̵7;s life. The absence of a mother can happen because of death, divorce, mental impairment, alcoholism, abandonment and imprisonment. It can have adverse effects on a teenager̵7;s social, emotional and psychological development.
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Antisocial Behavior
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Teens whose mothers are absent due to divorce are susceptible to engaging in various activities that could be damaging to their future. According to Robert Hughes, an associate professor and extension specialist at Ohio State University, teens with absent mothers are more likely to engage in delinquency and experiment with illegal drugs. The absence of a mother may also lead to a teenager engaging in premature sexual activity. Hughes argues that such behavior can arise in response to the feelings of prematurely having to face adult problems.
Academic Difficulties
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The absence of mothers may affect the academic development of their teenage children. Children with absent mothers are more likely to perform poorly in school than those whose mothers are present, according to a paper retrieved from the All Academic Research website, which Abby Klein and Lisa Pellerin presented at the American Sociological Association̵7;s annual meeting. Chrysalis Wright, a psychology lecturer, in a dissertation published in Proquest.com, further suggests that Spanish-speaking immigrant students in dual-parent families performed relatively better compared to students in single-parent families due to lack of sufficient resources to provide a suitable learning environment for children.
Poor Self-Esteem
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Teenagers whose mothers intentionally left often develop poor self-esteem. They may blame themselves for having made their mothers abandon them. Such teens may consider themselves an inconvenience to their mother or believe that she could not tolerate them anymore. According to Dr. Paul Wanio, author of "Magical Thinking: When Children of Divorce Blame Themselves," a child may hold on to self-blame for a lifetime, and it may diminish his self-esteem.
Emotional Detachment
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A mother̵7;s absence can cause a teenager to grow up emotionally detached. Teens with absentee mothers may have difficulty expressing their emotions. They may bottle up their feelings because of a lack of trust to share feelings. Lack of trust can arise because of feelings of abandonment by someone they trusted. Lesia Oesterreich, a family life specialist at Iowa State University, warns that extreme emotional detachment can foster suicidal thoughts, in an article reprinted by the National Network for Child Care.org.
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