The Vulnerable Population; Single Parents
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The Vulnerable Population; Single Parents
There has been a lot of discussion about single parents globally. Many people believe that most single parents are so because they are unemployed and hence in need of government sponsorship. Contrary to this opinion, single parents were once in a serious and committed relationship, but unavoidable circumstances rendered them single with time. Such circumstances include; divorce, death of a partner, separated, and some were never married. According to reports issued by the U.S Census Bureau in 2015, about 13.6 million of U.S population is made up of single parents. Also, reports indicate that the single parent population in the U.S are responsible for raising 22.4 million children, this is about 27% of children below 21 years of age.
Majority of the single parents are single mothers. Census data indicates that an estimate of 80% of single parents is mothers leaving an estimate of 20% for single parents who are fathers. Statistics suggest that about 60% of single mothers are aged below forty years.
Contrary to the common notion among people that single parents are unemployed, statistics from census data indicates that 50% of single mothers are employed on fulltime jobs. The statistics also suggest that about 20% of single mothers have no jobs. Furthermore, research reports indicate that only about 16% of the family with single father lives in poverty. On the other hand, about 30% of the family headed by a single mother lives in poverty.
The main social determinants of health among single parents are socioeconomic status, level of poverty, and depression. Single parents are faced with a lot of health-related issues such as single parent stigma, mental health, and stress. The primary health issue among single parent is the mental health problem. This health issue is as a result of several difficulties and challenges that they face while parenting their children. For instance, research shows that single mothers’ experiences increased level of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Furthermore, the mental health problem among single mothers is attributed to lack of social support and socioeconomic difficulties. This mental health problem can result in suicides; hence, there is a need for focusing on the ways of addressing it. To address this issue; there is a need to connect with other single parents and share challenges amongst themselves. Also, there is a need for them to ask for help now and then. There is a need to build a network of friends; this will help reduce stress caused by loneliness. Finally, there is a need to look for professional support.
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