Challenges Faced by Parents of Adolescence in Urban Areas of Karachi
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18335708Keywords:
Adolescents, Parenting challenges, Parent-child RelationshipAbstract
Parenting adolescents has become increasingly complex in today’s modern technology world. Social media exposure, academic pressure, peer influence and shifting cultural norms often add stress to both parents and children. Understanding parents’ perceptions of these challenges is essential for developing effective support systems that strengthen family relationships and promote healthy adolescent development. This study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of parents regarding the difficulties they face while raising adolescents in the current era. A qualitative study design was employed to explore the perceptions of parents of adolescents regarding the challenges they face in parenting today. An online Google form was administered to collect in-depth insights from parents through an open-ended questionnaire Sample of 117 parents of adolescents (aged between 10-19 years) in the Urban settings of Karachi were administered. Google form distribution allowed parents to complete the questionnaire at their own pace. Manual thematic analysis was used to extract codes, and themes. Five key themes were identified through manual thematic analysis, including Raising Children in the Current Era, Advancement in Technology, Generational Gaps, Moral and Value-Based, and parental support. This study's findings showed several challenges regarding Adolescents' parenting in the Urban settings of Karachi. Challenges such as advancement in technology, the generation gap, and the decline in moral values are affecting the parent-child relationship and the well-being of children. The findings suggest that despite the challenges, parents are committed to showing support for their child through understanding the perspective of Gen Z.
References
Alghamdi, A., Alfakeh, S., Kouzaba, K., Altaifi, M., Abu-Alamah, S., & Salamah, M. (2021). Parents’ perception of cyberbullying of their children in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Family and Community Medicine, 28(2), 117. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfcm.jfcm_516_20
Anderson, M. (2018). A majority of teens have experienced some form of cyberbullying. Pew Research Centre. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/09/27/a-majority-of-teens-have-experienced-some-form-of-cyberbullying/
Begum, T. S., Deka, B., Bhattacharjee, R., & Saikia, J. (2022). Parents’ and adolescents’ perceptions on problems associated with parenting. In The Pharma Innovation Journal: Vol. SP-11–10 (pp. 1448–1454). https://www.thepharmajournal.com
Crone, E. A., Van Duijvenvoorde, A. C. K., & Peper, J. S. (2016). Annual Research Review: Neural contributions to risk?taking in adolescence – developmental changes and individual differences. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57(3), 353–368. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12502
Ioffe, M., Pittman, L. D., Kochanova, K., & Pabis, J. M. (2020). Parent–Adolescent communication influences on anxious and depressive symptoms in early adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49(8), 1716–1730. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01259-1
Kahn, N. F., & Graham, R. (2019, December 12). The current landscape of adolescent risk behavior. Promoting Positive Adolescent Health Behaviors and Outcomes - NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554988/
Kimball, H. G., Fernandez, F., Moskowitz, K. A., Kang, M., Alexander, L. M., Conway, K. P., Merikangas, K. R., Salum, G. A., & Milham, M. P. (2023). Parent-Perceived benefits and harms associated with internet use by adolescent offspring. JAMA Network Open, 6(10), e2339851. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.39851
Kobak, R., Abbott, C., Zisk, A., & Bounoua, N. (2017). Adapting to the changing needs of adolescents: parenting practices and challenges to sensitive attunement. Current Opinion in Psychology, 15, 137–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.02.018
Making Caring Common. (2023). Caring for the Caregivers: The Critical Link Between Parent and Teen Mental Health https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/reports/caring-for-the-caregivers
Marsh, S., Chu, J. T. W., & Calder, A. J. (2024). ‘I tried to take my phone off my daughter, and i got hit in the face’: a qualitative study of parents’ challenges with adolescents’ screen use and a toolbox of their tips. BMC Public Health, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17690-z
McKeague, L., Hennessy, E., O’Driscoll-Lawrie, C., & Heary, C. (2021). Parenting an Adolescent Who is Using a Mental Health Service: A Qualitative Study on Perceptions and Management of Stigma. Journal of Family Issues, 43(9), 2317–2338. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513x211030924
Mujeeb, M., Fatima, S., Ismat, S., Arooj, F., Maqsood, S., & Salman, A. (2025). Navigating the Generation Gap: Influence on Academic Performance and Psychosocial Dynamics among College Students: A Thematic Analysis. Journal of Asian Development Studies, 14(1), 1211–1224. https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2025.14.1.97
Pelham, W. E., Patel, H., Somers, J. A., & Racz, S. J. (2024). Theory for how parental monitoring changes youth behavior. Clinical Psychological Science, 13(1), 18–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/21677026241232926
Raj, Y. (2024). Declining moral values among youth: an emerging issue. In NJESR (Vol. 6, Issue 5). https://doi.org/10.53571/NJESR.2024.6.5.38-46
Sharma, S., Singh, S., & Kumar, N. (2022b). The New Millennium Family Functioning and Health of Generation Z: From a Socioconstructivist perspective. Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 18(4), 337–347. https://doi.org/10.1177/09731342231161473
Suni, E., & Singh, A. (2024, January 5). Technology in the bedroom. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-environment/technology-in-the-bedroom
UNICEF. (n.d.). Teens and Risky Behaviour. How to support your teen while helping them to stay safe. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/parenting/mental-health/teens-risky-behaviours
Vogels, E. A., Gelles-Watnick, R., & Massarat, N. (2022, January 30). Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022. Pew Research Centre. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/
World Health Organization: WHO. (2024). Mental health of adolescents. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
World Health Organization: WHO. (2024). Teens, screens, and mental health. WHO. https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/25-09-2024-teens--screens-and-mental-health
Zhang, Q., Pan, Y., Zhang, L., & Lu, H. (2021). Parent-Adolescent communication and early adolescent depressive symptoms: The roles of gender and Adolescents’ age. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.647596
Zhong, L., Chen, J., Chen, X., Lin, S., Chan, L., Cao, L., Huang, W., Du, Y., & Su, Y. (2022). Parent-adolescent relationship and friendship quality: Psychological capital as mediator and neighborhood safety and satisfaction as moderator. Current Psychology, 42(23), 19628–19640. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02643-1
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of History and Social Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
