In Jamaican households alone, 78% of families are matri-focal where the mother or grandmother is the head of the household. Barrow (1996) further stated that absentee fathers and the single mother is a by-product of slavery where the man struggles to exist, and the matriarch is forced to be the backbone of the family. Fathers are usually absent because they are in prison, dead due to higher level of violence, or they do not care. Fathers are also absent when they leave home for work; this can be a result of working long hours or migrating to another country to seek better opportunities. This has caused a multiplicity of problems for children left behind. A father can also be absent while being a resident of the house. For instance, most men
