Family Disintegration and Its Impact on the Local Community in Sudan: A Field Study in En Nahud City

Abstract

This field study investigates the phenomenon of family disintegration in En Nahud City, Sudan, employing the descriptive-analytical approach to diagnose the impact of eroded family bonds on the stability of the local community. From the perspective of structural functionalist theory, the results reveal a structural shift toward "functional disintegration," where economic pressures and unemployment (36.67%) have weakened informal mechanisms of social control, generating a state of "anomie" or normlessness. The study has statistically proven a positive correlation between the absence of parental monitoring and the spread of addiction problems (30%) and behavioral deviance, threatening the social fabric amid current crises. On another level, the study highlights the role of religious incentive and sound parenting methods as mediating variables that contribute to enhancing family cohesion and reducing crime rates. Despite the high educational level of the sample (86.6% university graduates), economic fragility and forced displacement have imposed patterns of "involuntary disintegration" that have surpassed the cognitive immunity of individuals. The study concludes that it is necessary to restore the educational functions of the Sudanese family to confront the challenges of "emotional divorce" and irregular migration, emphasizing that the stability of the local community is a direct reflection of the integrity of its small family units.