Running Head: EFFECTS OF A LACK OR PARENTING

Effects of a Lack of Parenting

Lena Washington
Hampton University

Running Head: EFFECTS OF A LACK OR PARENTING

Abstract
The way parents interact with their children in the first years of their existence is a vast fragment
of their development that may either make or break them in their teen and adult years. Consistent
parental involvement is key to the success of an individual. This literature review will inform the
reader of some negative effects of children being raised by single parents as well as children
raised in foster homes. Other information that will be given includes how a lack of parental
involvement effects a child academically and psychologically. Interviews and statistical data also
help contribute to the research on the effects of a lack of parenting.

Running Head: EFFECTS OF A LACK OR PARENTING

Effects of a Lack of Parenting

Parents play a tremendous role in their childrens lives. It is important for parents to be involved
in order to help their children efficiently develop mentally, physically and emotionally. This
matchless bond that a parent shares with their child is something that can not be replaced and
without it, sometimes a childs growth can be altered. Records show that children raised with
parental support are more likely to have better health, social and communication skills, better
grades in school, along with a lot of other advantages. Although this may be the case for some
people, it is not true to every single person in the world. It is very possible for a child raised by a
single parent or in a foster home to be even more successful than a child raised by two loving
parents. There are a lot of components that tie together and play into how a person ends up in
addition to who and how many people raised a child. In order to learn more about the importance
of a parents involvement in their childrens lives are, four important questions need to be
considered:
1. What are the negative effects of children being raised by a single parent?
2. What are the negative effects of children being raised in foster homes?
3. What impact does a lack of parental involvement have on a child academically?
4. What impact does a lack of parental involvement have on a child psychologically?
The following review on literature will inform the reader of a few negative effects of children
raised by a single parent or children raised in foster homes, and the impacts that a lack of
parental involvement has on children academically and psychologically.
What are the negative effects of children being raised by a single parent?
Children raised by single parents are involuntarily at a loss when it comes to a couple of major
components of life. To name a few, single parents supply their children with economic hardships,

Running Head: EFFECTS OF A LACK OR PARENTING

exposure to stress, and a lack of quality of parenting. Research shows that most children living in
a single parent home, whether it be a single mother or single father, are economically
disadvantaged. When there is only one source of income for a house full of children, it becomes
difficult for a single parent to adequately supply all the that their child(s) need for their wellbeing. Figure 1 below is a bar graph Two Is Better Than One: Median

Income by Family ($): 2012. This graph is comparing the median income of married couples,
with both a working wife and stay at home wife, single fathers and lastly single mothers. It is
clear that the highest amount of income derives from married couples with a working wife, with
a median income of $91,779. Given that this graph is from data found in the year 2012, the
amount of income from a married couple with a working wife has more than likely increased
since then. While married couples with working wives have the highest amount of income, it is
also visible that the lowest amount of income derives from the homes of single mothers, at
$30,686. This low number displays how much of an economic hardship single mothers face,

Running Head: EFFECTS OF A LACK OR PARENTING

making it a lot harder on them to successfully raise their children. Typically, many live in
rundown neighborhoods with high crime rates, low-quality schools, and few community
services (Future of Children, 2005). Exposure to these environments may also have negative
influences on children, causing them to get involved in illegal or dangerous activities.
Research has shown that children raised by single parents are exposed to more stress than the
average child. They are exposed to more stressful experiences and circumstances and have
external demands exceeding [their] coping resources (Future of Children, 2005).
What are the negative effects of children being raised in foster homes?
Children raised in foster homes typically were exposed to a traumatic life before they even
entered the foster care system. A few reasons why children enter foster care in the first place may
be because their biological parents were not financially stable to raise them, their biological
parents could have been drug addicts, or even because of disabilities they had that their parents
were not prepared to deal with. Children raised in foster care end up becoming biologically
vulnerable to many poor developmental outcomes, due to genetic factors, prenatal substance
exposure, and other physical health issues (Future of Children, 2004).
What impact does a lack of parental involvement have on a child academically?
In order for a child to be successful in school, it takes a strong support system and involved
parents at home to back them up. Parents must maintain a certain level of commitment to
parental support. A few characteristics that make up an involved parent include such things as
encouraging the student, being sympathetic, reassuring, and understanding. The other element
needed is a level of parental activity and participation, such as doing something that is
observable (Vandergrift & Greene, p. 57). If a child sees their parent being productive and
successful in their work, it will encourage them to want the same for themselves. Lisa

Running Head: EFFECTS OF A LACK OR PARENTING

Washington, a speech pathologist based in Washington D.C, stated that even before a child enters
school a parents involvement is key to their success. Parents having conversations with their
children before they enter pre-school is imperative to help in their language and social
development. If there is a lack of parental involvement for children, their language development
along with other important factors may be inadequate. Figure 2 below, Two-Parent Families Are
More Involved in Education, is a chart that displays the parental involvement in school.

The parental involvement of family structures such as: two biological parents, mother-only
families, father-only families, nonparent guardians, etc. are presented. Statistics show that
families with two biological parents have a parental involvement percentage of sixty-two, which
is the highest of all other family structures. This shows how important it is for children to be
raised by parents that are involved in order for them to be successful in school.

Running Head: EFFECTS OF A LACK OR PARENTING

What impact does a lack of parental involvement have on a child psychologically?

A lack of parental involvement not only has effects on children academically, but also
psychologically. Children may have emotional responses, behavioral reactions and physiological
functioning to their parents that are not involved enough in their lives. Some examples of
emotional responses include anger, irritation, frustration, rage and elation, depending on how
involved a parent is in their life (LaBahn 1995). If a parent has minimal to no involvement in the
life of their child, this may cause the child to become angry with them and feel as if they did
something wrong in order for their parents involvement to be so limited. These feelings may
also lead to more serious psychological problems, such as a number or disorders.
Conclusion
It goes without saying that the time and effort parents put into raising their children is significant
for their development and overall well-being. Parents must consistently stay involved in their
childrens lives, especially in their earlier years, in order for their children to be given the best
possible set up for success.

Running Head: EFFECTS OF A LACK OR PARENTING

References
Amato, P. (2005, October/November). The Future of Children, Princeton - Brookings: Providing
research and analysis to promote effective policies and programs for children. Retrieved
April 01, 2016

Fan, X.. (2001). Parental Involvement and Students' Academic Achievement: A Growth
Modeling Analysis. The Journal of Experimental Education, 70(1), 2761.

Harden, B. (2013, December 11). - The Future of Children -. Retrieved April 01, 2016

LaBahn, J. (1995). Parent involvement. Retrieved April 01, 2016

Siddiqui, I. J. (2011). LACK OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: STRESS PRONE

CHILDREN. International Journal of Education & Allied Sciences, 3(2), 43-48.

Welcome to the Enterprise City Schools Website ::. (n.d.). Retrieved April 01, 2016
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00220970109599497
A few characteristics that make up an involved parent include such things as encouraging the
student, being sympathetic, reassuring, and understanding. The other element needed is a level of
parental activity and participation, such as doing something that is observable (Vandergrift &
Greene, p. 57).

Running Head: EFFECTS OF A LACK OR PARENTING