Abstract: Adolescence is a developmental period in which family processes are widely rega rded as central to behavioural adjust ment, yet most existing studies examine parental monitoring, parent-child communication, family cohesion, and disciplinary practices separately rather than comparing their relative contribution within a single sample. This study compared four family-environment dimensions as correlates of behavioural outcomes among senior school students in Moiben Sub-County, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya, a rural agricultural setting in which family-behaviour associations remain under-researched. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design combined a cross-sectional survey of 341 students with semi-structured interviews with 22 teachers and focus group discussions with 12 parents or guardians. All four dimensions were significantly and positively correlated with behavioural outcomes: family cohesion (r = .435), parental monitoring (r = .412), parent-child communication (r = .398), and disciplinary practices (r = .387), all p < .01, with overlapping confidence intervals. In a combined regression model, the four dimensions together accounted for 31.2% of the variance in behavioural outcomes (R² = .312), with family cohesion emerging as the largest standardised predictor (β = .245), followed by monitoring, communication, and discipline. Qualitative accounts converged with, and extended, these statistical patterns: participants described the erosion of communal child-rearing norms, a persistent gap between instrumental and emotional communication, and continuing tension between authoritative and physically punitive disciplinary practices. The findings suggest that family cohesion may be the single most promising point of leverage for adolescent-focused family interventions in comparable rural Kenyan settings, without displacing the complementary roles of monitoring, communication, and consistent discipline.
Keywords: family environment, family cohesion, parental monitoring, parent-child communication, adolescent behaviour, rural Kenya.
Title: Family Environment and Adolescent Behavioural Outcomes in Moiben Sub-County, Kenya
Author: Mary Mwelu Musuni, Dr. Betty Chewen, Dr. Lucy Kibet
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
Vol. 14, Issue 3, July 2026 - September 2026
Page No: 405-412
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 23-September-2026
