How do young adolescents spend their waking hours at night

Abstract

Research Note/ Nota Penyelidikan: This study, conducted in 1997, sought to find out what young adolescents were doing at night; whether they were at home and if not, where they were and what they were doing during specific times of the night. The study raised two research questions, viz. what are the types of home environments of the adolescents? And is there enough space for all the members of the family? The sample consisted of 1842 young adolescents from low and middle-income families in the Klang Valley who were still attending school. The children lived mostly in less satisfactory housing in terms of the physical structure be it walk-up flats, high-rises, long houses or squatter houses. The study shows that on a normal evening during school term, most of the children were inside their houses. Only a small proportion remained outside, even till the late hours of the night. Children in the single bedroom flats and long houses slept later as compared to those in the other types of houses. During weekends, many of the children stayed out late in the evening, especially so among those from families living in bungalows, while it was least among children from families living in squatter houses.