ROCHELLE P.

HERUELA DOCTOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING-GERONTOLOGY

GN-1 COURSE REQUIREMENT: PUBLISHABLE ARTICLE ON GERONTOLOGY FIELD

THE IMPACT OF FAMILY STRUCTURE AND THE PRESENCE OF BIOLOGICAL PARENTS ON THE
CHILDS AGING PROCESS

Children who grow outside marriage mostly perform poorly in academic activities. Some

who are raised in a broken family would hardly graduate from high school. Intact, supportive

family affects the childs motivation to attend college and graduate. The presence of biological

parents is very essential for a child to develop good academic performance and even to have a

good psychosocial relationship as they grow older. Married couples who stay intact with their

children would likely to rise from economic status than in cohabitating, blended family or

single-parent family.

In a lecture on July 24, 2012, to Gerontology class, Professor Kwan stated that married

couples who are mutually inlove are most likely to build a happy family with happy children.

Thereby, parents serve as role model of the children on how to love and build a happy life and

relationship. Considering the aging process from conception to getting old, the childs level of

happiness are built not only from birth but from the time he is conceived.

On the study of Milstead and Perkins, they presented common types of family

structures namely, traditional or nuclear family, single-parent family, extended family, blended

family and cohabitating. Children raise in a nuclear or traditional family is more conducive to

academic success. Milstead and Perkins added that these children have higher Grade Point

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ROCHELLE P. HERUELA CP#: 0906-707-2659 DOCTOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING-GERONTOLOGY

GN-1 COURSE REQUIREMENT: PUBLISHABLE ARTICLE ON GERONTOLOGY FIELD Page 1 of 6

Average (GPAs), fewer incidences of school-related problem behavior, and higher college

expectations.

On the other hand, a single parent family is one in which the child lives with either his or

her biological mother or father (Milstead & Perkins, 2010). This type of family may result from a

death of one parent, a divorce, or a non-union pregnancy. Children of singleparent families are

more likely to be impoverished, break the law, have low academic performance, have teen-age

pregnancy, and to have emotional and behavioral problems. School-related problems that arise

in other non-traditional families are less likely to occur in widowed families.

In addition, an extended family is composed of three or more generations that live

together from grandparents to parents, siblings of parents, married children, their spouses and

grand children (Elliott & Gray, 2000). Werner-Wilson (n.d.), stated that families have a

fundamental influence on the academic achievement of children. He added that children who

have support from extended family members do well academically.

However, a blended family is created from remarriage. It is composed of a remarried

parent with their biological child or children and the parents spouse. It also includes the

spouses children or the children born to the newly married couple. Batt (2010) stated that a

2008 study conducted by Kathryn Harker Tillman, an assistant professor of sociology from

Florida State University says that adolescents living with half-siblings or step-siblings tend to

have lower academic performance.

In a cohabitating relationship, the child lives with either his or her biological mother or

father and that parents significant other outside marriage or without marriage (Milstead &

Perkins, 2010). The children who live in cohabiting households are less inclined to care about
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ROCHELLE P. HERUELA CP#: 0906-707-2659 DOCTOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING-GERONTOLOGY

GN-1 COURSE REQUIREMENT: PUBLISHABLE ARTICLE ON GERONTOLOGY FIELD Page 2 of 6

school and homework performance, and their academic performance tends to be poorer than

that of children living with their married biological parents.

The family structure greatly affects the life and accomplishments of the child as he

grows older. The family, especially the pleasant and unpleasant acts of the parents influences

the behavior of the child. On the first trimester of pregnancy, the mother should be happy

because the embryo or fetus constructed during that time already takes the feelings of the

mother. The presence of the fathers emotional support is important to make the mother feel

loved. Surprises and gifts from the father are relevant to make the mother and baby happy.

On the second trimester of pregnancy, the child may develop feelings of frustrations,

jealousy and suicidal tendencies when the mother feels doubts and uncertainties on the

fathers behavior and love. Extra marital affair of the father during this stage may result to a

doubtful, violent child when it grows old. Thereby the mother should be showed love, praised

and kept hugged on this stage to have an obedient, kind, generous and loving child.

On the third trimester, the presence of the father is very crucial to ease the mothers

anxiety and worries on the delivery of the baby. From childs birth and infancy until

toddlerhood, the presence of the father and mother is important for the child to feel loved and

to be hugged. Father and son should hold hands once a day. The daughter should experience

carried on the fathers shoulder. This is important for a gender to gender transmission. It is also

stated by Erik Erikson on his developmental theory that in infancy stage, from birth to 18

months, the mother should show positive and loving care to the child with big emphasis on

visual contact and touch. If the child fail to experience trust and are constantly frustrated

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ROCHELLE P. HERUELA CP#: 0906-707-2659 DOCTOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING-GERONTOLOGY

GN-1 COURSE REQUIREMENT: PUBLISHABLE ARTICLE ON GERONTOLOGY FIELD Page 3 of 6

because their needs are not met, they end up with a deep-seated feeling of worthlessness and

a mistrust of the world in general (Harder, n.d.).

Harder (n.d.) affirmed that through touch and loving care during infancy, parents help

their children build a foundation of trust. Then as their children move through each stage of

growth, parents need to help them develop other skills they will need in order to become

resourceful, resilient and compassionate adults.

The guidance of parents on the child during preschool should consider on emphasizing

to the child that he has a task to do. A child who is not trained to accomplish task will lead to

being irresponsible and may face failures in their studies or goals. The child should be praised

and recognized for every accomplishment he achieves. This will make the child a dependable

person and a good leader in the future. He develops confidence to do duties and

responsibilities.

According to Erik Eriksons Theory of Development, pre-school age is the period when

child take initiative in creating play situations and copy the adults around them. They also begin

to use the word why to explore the world. But when the child gets frustrated over natural

desires and goals, they easily experience guilt (Harder, n.d.).

At school-age, it is the childs formation of study habit. The parents engagement to

their studies is important to help them do better in school. The parents support to their childs

school and academic activities will give the child more motivation to strive harder and to

achieve higher academic performance.

According to Erik Eriksons Psychosocial Development, school-age learns to master the

more formal skills in life. This stage is tagged as industry versus inferiority (Child Development,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ROCHELLE P. HERUELA CP#: 0906-707-2659 DOCTOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING-GERONTOLOGY

GN-1 COURSE REQUIREMENT: PUBLISHABLE ARTICLE ON GERONTOLOGY FIELD Page 4 of 6

n.d.). The child may demand for formal teamwork and relates with peers according to rules.

Homework is a necessity and the need for self-discipline increases yearly. The child who

because of his successive and successful resolutions of earlier psychosocial crisis, is trusting,

autonomous, and full of initiative will learn easily enough to be industrious.

All these stages in childs aging process from first trimester until school-age is very

relevant on the childs development to have a happy and successful life. The presence of

biological parents and the fulfillment of love during every stage in life mold the child into a

better person ready to face lifes challenges.

Children from broken marriages or outside marriage usually find it more difficult to have

a happy aging as they have grown seeing hatred, frustrations, lack of love, support and

appreciation. They see confusions and doubts in life as they witnessed the hurts and failures

their mother have undergone. Some of them reach lesser accomplishments in life as they

poorly felt or seen the encouragement and love from their biological parents.

References:

Milstead, Kayla & Perkins, Gerra. 2010. Family Strucrure Characteristics and Academic Success:
Supporting the Work of School Counselors. Academic Leadership (15337812), Vol. 8
Issue 4, p 19. Retrieved from
http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/62969864/family-structure-characteristics-
academic-success-supporting-work-school-counselors

Elliot, Susan & Gray, Allison. 2000. Family Structures: A Report for the New Zealand Immigration
Service. Retrieved from
http://www.dol.govt.nz/research/migration/pdfs/FamilyStructures.pdf

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ROCHELLE P. HERUELA CP#: 0906-707-2659 DOCTOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING-GERONTOLOGY

GN-1 COURSE REQUIREMENT: PUBLISHABLE ARTICLE ON GERONTOLOGY FIELD Page 5 of 6

Werner-Wilson, Ronald. (n.d.). Families Matter: The Impact of Families on Academic
Achievement. Retrieved from
http://www.familyimpactseminars.org/s_nmfis05ppt_rww.pdf

Batt, Elizabeth. 2010. Step and Half-Siblings Impact Grades and Behavior in Adolescents.
Retrieved from http://suite101.com/article/step-and-half-siblings-impact-grades--
behavior-in-adolescents-a280703

Harder, Arlene. (n.d.) The Developmental Stage of Erik Erikson. Retrieved from
http://www.support4change.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47
&Itemid=108

Child Development Institute. (n.d.) Stages of Social-Emotional Development Erik Erikson.

Retrieved, September 22, 2012 from http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-
development/erickson.shtml

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ROCHELLE P. HERUELA CP#: 0906-707-2659 DOCTOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING-GERONTOLOGY

GN-1 COURSE REQUIREMENT: PUBLISHABLE ARTICLE ON GERONTOLOGY FIELD Page 6 of 6