PERCEPTION OF GOOD PARENTING PRACTICES AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IBADAN SOUTH WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Good Parenting Practices (GPP) has a significant impact on the cognitive and emotional development of adolescents. There is a persistence of uncertainty in the parenting of adolescents compared to parenting younger children (0-9), where roles and responsibility tend to be well defined and understood. Little attention is therefore paid to what adolescents perceive as GPP. This study was designed to assess the perception of GPP among secondary school (SS) students in lbadan South West Local Government Area (IBSWLGA), Oyo State, Nigeria. This descriptive cross sectional survey began with the conduct of eight Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) in four purposively selected schools with students in both Junior Secondary Classes (JSC) and Senior Secondary Classes (SSC). The FGD responses were used to develop the content of the pretested semi-structured questionnaire used to collect data from 494 students in eleven SS (5 public and 6 private), using a four-stage sampling technique based on proportionate allocation from schools, classes and arms. Respondents' perception of GPP and parents' practices were measured on 18-point perception scale each. Scores of 0-8, 9-12 and 13-18 were rated negative, positive and highly positive respectively. FGDs were analysed using thematic approach and quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and regression model at p-<0.05. The FGD revealed that GPP involved parents showing love to their children; being sensitive to their children's need: talking with them often; not pampering any child; asking and participating in school activities (Note checking and Parent Teachers Association meetings). Respondents' age was 13.6±1.9 years; 53.4% were female and 47.2% were in JSC. Majority of the respondents' fathers (75.1%) and mother (61.3%) had tertiary education. Almost all (99.8%) respondents had a positive perception of GPP. Most respondents had a positive perception of their fathers' 93.5% and mothers' 97.8% parenting practices. Less than half of the male respondents (46.1%), and 53.9% of the female respondents agreed that their mothers had time to talk with them, while 88.3% of male and female respondents respectively said their fathers had time to talk with them. Most respondents (91.5%) agreed that pampering was not a GPP. Majority (72.1%) reported that their fathers attended their school activities while 68.0% of their mothers did. Majority (98.6%) agreed that good parents should create time to help in decision making for their children. However, few respondents reported that their fathers (12.3%) and mothers (9.3%) do not do this. Respondents' perception score on GPPs was 17±1.3; while younger adolescents (10-14 years) scored 17±1.3; the other adolescents (15-19 years) scored 16.9±1.4. Older adolescents were less likely to have positive perception of their fathers' (OR: 0.3; 95% CI:0.1-0.7) and mothers' (OR:0.2; 95% CI:0.08-0.9) parenting practices than their younger counterparts. Most of the respondents had a positive perception of good parenting practices and their parents' practice of parental roles.