Abstract:
The storm of adolescence: it is in this particular age that they try to learn
and acquire experiences gradually by themselves. That is why adolescents are the
ones who get confused most of the time and in this stage where they learn on their
own, many factors can influence their ways. Eventually for a female adolescent,
distant affection to her father may develop because she only sees him as the
disciplinarian and not her close friend. With reference to present situations, the
affection may now be shifted towards the adolescent opposite sex that may result
to poor romantic relationship.
The study seeks to know if the quality of father-daughter relationship be a
reason for the prevalence of adolescent romantic relationships among female ages
13 to 19 – in spite of uncertainties and risks such as academic distraction, conflict
with parents, emotional harm, and rushed maturity that the female adolescent can
encounter from committing in this kind of relationship. The researcher employed
a survey questionnaire measuring the attitude of the female adolescent to their
father and did in-depth interviews of female adolescents within the target
population.
Through the research, adolescent daughter's relationship with her father
has been proven to also be a cause for the occurrence of romantic relationships aside from the other causes like Peer Pressure. The family plays a great part on
the attitude of a female adolescent towards engaging in a romantic relationship
with the opposite sex. Fathers showed to be significant in the daughter’s social
development, education and emotional well-being as well as on the adolescent’s
decision to engage in a relationship. Through the course of the study, it has been
found that conflict between the father and the daughter happens because of a
number of factors like conflicting ideas, uninvolved fathering and too-controlling
parenting. Likewise, advantages and disadvantages and reasons for engaging in
romantic relationships have been determined from a Filipino daughter’s
perspective.
The researcher recommends further research on the relationship of the
father and the female adolescent especially in the Filipino family. This is not just
on its effect on adolescent romantic relationships but also on other aspects of the
adolescent’s development. Also, deeper analysis of sibling relations for example
to an older brother may be proven to have an effect on the female adolescent’s
perception of the opposite sex and romantic relationships.
