Problems in Establishment of Sound Social Relations with Family and its Exclusionary Effects on Children

Abstract

Circumstances of poor social relations with family members provoke social exclusion in children. The aim of this paper is limited to the exclusionary effects of poor social relations of family members on children with variation to their effects amongst children of different gender(s), religion, family types and subjective poverty. A total of 500 children from both genders (12–18 years old) were selected by a systematic sampling technique, interviewed by a face-to-face interview technique, from seven shopping streets and seven high schools out of a total of 15 renowned bazars and 461 registered high schools of the District Peshawar. The Likert scale was used as a measurement tool to ascertain the attitudes of respondents towards the phenomenon under study. The strength and direction of independent variable's (decision making power) effects on the dependent variable (social exclusion) were assessed by using the chi-square test and Kendall's tau-b statistics, both at bi- and multi-variate levels (gender, religion, family type and sufficiency of family income as a control variable). Association of social exclusion was positive and significant with care provided by the family at residence (Tb=0.175 and p=0.000). However, a negative relationship was established with child's exposure to discipline for misdeeds at home (Tb= -0.138 and p=0.002). The relationship of social relations with family members and social exclusion was spurious under the influence of gender (Tb=-0.208 and p=0.000 for male and p=0.465 and Tb=-0.077 for female), religion (Tb=-0.141 and p=0.002 for Muslim and Tb=-0.551 and p=0.011 for non-Muslim), family type (Tb=-0.249 and p=0.000 for joint family, Tb=-0.125 and p=0.050 for nuclear family and Tb=0.068 and p=0.714for respondents from single-parent families) and sufficiency of family income (Tb=-0.259 and p=0.000 for sufficient income and Tb=0.146 and p=0.019 for respondents with insufficient income). Reintegration of family role in child's physical, social and psychological care and socialisation by strengthening their existing cultural base of child training in common family roles and morality, besides helping families through educational and motivational programs, in modification of its child treatment activities, and allowing a more participatory and decisive role to children at family and personal levels under the strict supervision of their elders were the main recommendations of the study.