This small house accommodates 10 persons. Many Jamaicans, especially in inner-city communities, live in overcrowded conditions, which is directly linked to behavioural problems.
Living in an overcrowded home can significantly affect family relationships and child development, says behavioural scientist, Dr Grace Kelly.
Life in very cramped quarters can be frustrating for members of the family because of a lack of privacy. Children growing up in these households sometimes become sexually active early, because it is harder for adults to keep interactions secret in households of this type, she notes.
"The overcrowding does not provide the kind of privacy that there needs to be for display of appropriate affection between the couples, be it married or unmarried, and the children being exposed to that, it impacts the way they interpret things," says Kelly.
Likewise, it can lead to frustration between spouses who have to be mindful of what they do and how they display amorous behaviour in an open household.
School learning can also be affected by the conditions, she says, as it sometimes become difficult to study under such circumstances.
Ground rules
Kelly says although different people have different learning styles and are able to cope under certain circumstances, it is difficult for most to learn in a cramped environment, which sometimes tends to be noisy.
But Kelly points out that some families have developed ways to overcome some of the difficulties,
The Sunday Gleaner recently met a family of 10, comprising five adults and five children, in Old Harbour St Catherine. They all squeeze into a small three-bedroom house which has five beds and one bathroom.
To cope with the tight fit, the family has developed ground rules.
During study time, for instance, the children are given a room for themselves where they complete their assignments or study, while the others gather in a another room.
The adults - who are all single - try to be mindful of their behaviour, says grandmother, Beryl Henry. She does not allow sleepovers and curse words are not used in the house either.
- G.M.
