Relational Behaviors Among Male Adolescents: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction/Back ground: The period of adolescence is associated with marked physical as well as emotional changes which make them vulnerable to many problems. Adolescent’s relation with parents, friends and school teachers can influence how they per- ceive life situations and can have great impact on their behaviors.

Materials and methods: This cross sectional study was done in 3 urban and 2 rural schools of Udupi taluk consisting of 630 male adolescents studying in class 8th-10th using a validated tool.

Results: About 71.4% male adolescents felt that, they could almost always talk closely with their mothers compared to their fathers. Most of the adolescents reported of positive atmosphere at home. Nearly 94.6% of them could seek their friends’ help regarding studies whenever they needed. Majority of students (71.9%) re- ported that they could seek advice from at least one teacher at school whenever they have problem.

Conclusion: The present study showed that male adolescents re- late more closely with their mothers compared to their fathers. Though majority of the students experienced favorable environ- ment at home, a considerable proportion witnessed family prob- lems. A small section of students felt that they didn’t have any teacher with whom they can share their problems.