Social EnvironmentSocial Environment

William Allan Kritsonis, PhDWilliam Allan Kritsonis, PhD

Social Environment: Family

• Majority were raised by both parents • Mothers more than fathers raised the adolescents

83.2

1.2

5.9

0.8

2.5

6.4 pa & mapa onlyma onlypa+otherma+otherother

Social Environment: Family Living away from home• 45% have experienced living away from home• 16.3% ever-lived in a dorm or boarding house

Reasons for living away from home

Many young people live away from their families

34.8

36.4

21.1

1.5

0 10 20 30 40

to marryto join relativesto studyto work

Social Environment

Parental/Family relationship

Siblings • 77% get along with all siblings• 16% get along but not with all siblings

Parents • 72% get along well with father• 76.5% get along well with mother

Significant % have problems relating with family members

Social Environment:Family

Parental/Family relationship

Parents get along well • 72% get along well • 12.5% don’t get along well

Rating of parents: warm & affectionate • 70% of fathers scored high• 80% mothers scored high

Social Environment

Parental/Family relationship

Discuss SEX at home• 15.6% sex was discussed at home while adolescent was growing up • 6.2% discussed with mother• 3.5% discussed with father• 4.6% discussed with sister• 3.5% discussed with brother

Home is not a place where SEX can be discussed

Social Environment: School

68% go to public school• Feelings about school

• 19.6% would rather not go to sch. many times • 5.6% think that school is a waste of time• 87.2% try hard to do good in school

• % think someone at school can help them with sex-related problems

Social Environment: Media

More than half watched x-rated movies/videos : 55%

Where do they usually watch x-rated movies/videos?

23.8

63.8

7.1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Own home Friends'/Relatives'home

Movie house More than a third had read pornographic materials: 38.4%

Social Environment: FriendsWho adolescents approach when they have problems? Friends are important support system

• Academic problems• 37.4% teachers• 44% peers/classmates• 4.8% none

• Love/relationship problems

• 62.6% friends• 15.5% self• 2.1% teachers• 1.4% counselor

• Family problems• 64.5% friends• 11.8% none• 6.4% teacher• 2.5% counselor

Social Environment: Friends B a r k a d a

• 97.5% ever had barkada• 84.6% parents know about barkada• 76.6% parents aware of barkada activities• 19.3% barkada with R involved in violent incident

Activities of barkada: %

25

12.38

11.37.4

05

1015202530

Social Environment: Friends Fraternity/Sorority

• 6.2% was ever a member • 52% of those in frats have been involved in violent activities

Activities of fraternity: %

20

13.711.8

3.9

9.8

0

5

10

15

20

25

Comm'ywork

Hazing Meeting None Sch act

Social Environment: Friends

Friends having sex• 39.5% know of unmarried friends who

are having sex• 23.3% know of unmarried female friends who have gotten pregnant

Social Environment : Church/Religion

• 84.6% are Catholics• 3.4% are Born Again• 2.9% are INK

Religiosity• 44% attend at least once a week

• 8.2% have changed religion • 60% of those who changed came from Catholic religion

Consequences of risk behaviors

• Other risk behaviors• Accidental, unwanted and unsafe pregnancies

• Maternal mortality rate among pregnant adolescents is 2-4 times higher than for women over age 20.

• Infant mortality rate is 30% higher for infants born to mothers ages 15-19 than for those women 20 years or older.

Consequences of risk behaviors

Young Filipino women are reproductively-challenged

• 162,000 or 10% of all births occur to teenage mothers (15-19)• at age 18, 10% are already mothers• at age 20, 25% are mothers• at age 24, 50% are mothers, and 1/3 of Filipino young women have 2-3 children already• Young pregnant women are prone to pregnancy complications

Consequences of risk behaviors

• Abortion• 5% of ever-pregnant adolescent had at least one abortion experience.

Reasons why adolescents engage in risk behaviors

• Adolescents are becoming less & less connected with their families and religion• Families are showing signs of being less helpful to their adolescents• Schools & homes provide venues for sex encounters• Adolescents show signs of confusion • They are doing more experimentation with their peers• Pornograpic media is taking a larger space in their time and attention

Reasons why adolescents engage in risk behaviors

• Adolescents now have more liberal attitudes on sex and sex-

related matters.

Summary

Ill-consequences of risk behaviors are already apparent

• Many are not even aware of the consequences or of the risks

• They are ill-prepared for the consequences

‘Better informed, better equipped’

Summary

There are signs of breaking down of adolescent –protective connections

• Family• School• Church

At the same time, • Closeness to peers• ‘Bad’ media taking more significance

‘transforming risk factors to protective factors, HOW?’

• In view of the foregoing, what kinds of actions are needed to support healthier adolescent development?• Who should be joining the efforts?• What kinds of strategies are effective?

How can we help the adolescents?• Level with them, Be honest• Have clear reasonable limits• Listen actively to them• Share plans & schedules• Respect their privacy and space• Say things respectfully & with warmth• Encourage them to discover creative channels of expression• Encourage them to develop their own interests & discover sources of fulfillment• Trust them & be happy