A contextual analysis of gender on social maturity and adjustment of adolescents belonging to orphanages, single parent families and intact families

Pages: 165-170
Rashmi Upreti and Seema Sharma (Department of Human Development & Family Studies, PAU, Ludhiana, Punjab)

The aim of the study was to investigate gender differences and the relationship between social maturity and adjustment of adolescents from orphanages, single parent families and intact families. Present study was conducted in the randomly selected orphanages and government schools (from four cities) of Punjab. Total of 300 school going adolescents were included in the sample. Sample was equally distributed across both the genders. Social Maturity Scale and Bell’s Adjustment Inventory were employed in the research study. The data were analyzed by using t-test and coefficient of correlation. The statistical analysis revealed that social maturity of girls from intact families was significantly better when compared with boys. Boys living in intact families reported more problems in social adjustment, emotional adjustment and total adjustment as compared to their counterparts. Furthermore, in single parent families, total social maturity of boys exhibited statistically significant and positive correlation with adjustment. On the other hand, total social maturity of girls brought up in orphanages and living with intact families projected a significantly positive relationship with their adjustment.