Does family structure matter? Perceived parenting, decision making and healthy lifestyle behaviours of adolescents in rural South Africa.
Loading...
Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Nova Publishers
Abstract
The aim of the study was to compare perceived parenting styles, decision making styles and
healthy lifestyle behaviours of adolescents from single and two-parent families within a rural
setting in South Africa. The study employed a quantitative methodology with a cross-sectional
comparative group design. The sample consisted of 457 Grade 9 learners from four randomly
selected secondary schools in the Overberg Education District, Western Cape, South Africa. The
data was collected using the Parental Style and Dimension Questionnaire, Melbourne Decision
Making Questionnaire and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II as well as a short
biographical questionnaire. The data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics
(MANOVA). The results suggest that maternal and paternal authoritative parenting, vigilant
decision making and often engagement in healthy lifestyle behaviours were prevalent for
adolescents in rural South Africa. The results furthermore suggest that there were no significant
main effects of family structure on perceived parenting styles, decision making styles and healthy
lifestyle behaviours. The findings also serve as a recommendation for future research to do an
urban-rural comparison, as the applicability of urban findings are often questioned in rural
studies.
Description
Keywords
Decision making styles, Parenting styles, Healthy lifestyle behaviour, Family structure, adolescent
Citation
Davids, E.L., Roman, N.V. & Leach, L. (2015). The effect of family structure on decision making, parenting styles and healthy lifestyle behaviour of adolescents in rural South Africa. African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 21(3:2), 953-967.