The Concept of Parenthood as Defined by Young Adults Who Grew Up in the Absence of One or Both Parents

Abstract

This study focused on the concept of parenthood as defined by young adults who grew up in the absence of one or both parents. This study aimed at exploring and discussing how these young adults define and perceive such concepts involving parenthood, child rearing and family life and how the absence of one or both of their parents have affected their attitudes. Moreover, this study also explored the coping mechanisms employed by these young adults in order to cope with the absence of their parents. A total of sixteen (16) key informants and seventy-five (75) respondents from urban areas participated in this study. All of the participants were young adults with ages ranging from eighteen (18) to twenty-five (25) years. The data were collected through surveys and key informant interviews. The data were analyzed using descriptive content analysis, through comparing dominant answers and seeking similar themes. The study used key informant interviews as the primary tool for gathering qualitative data. The interview consisted of thirteen (13) questions probing on the informants’ basic family settings, perceptions regarding parenthood and concepts of family life in general. Meanwhile, survey questionnaires with the same content have been distributed for the collection of quantitative data. For the interviews, the answers were compared and contrasted to establish similarities and differences. Similar answers were analyzed in order to establish similar themes. Frequency analysis and the Likert scale were used in the quantitative data analysis to find prominent answers and establish dominant themes with the responses. The results revealed that these young adults define parenting as a chance to care for and love another individual and more passionately, to “right the wrongs” committed by their distant or abandoning parents. Seeing their own families as an example, these young adults seek to provide and care for their children in a way that they did not experience with their own families. The results also revealed that these young adults are more cautious when it comes to commitment and marriage, seeing that raising a family is not an easy task and that it requires stability and full dedication from the parents. When it comes to their views regarding the roles of parents in the lives of their children, the respondents categorized these roles into two; (1) providing for the physical needs and (2) nurturing and providing warmth for the child, recognizing that the roles of parents are not limited to providing the providing the physical needs of the child. And lastly, it has been revealed that the majority of the respondents used the coping mechanism of substitution in order to cope with the absence of one of both parents. It is recommended that young adults who share the same experience explore their feelings and sentiments in order to adjust accordingly and in turn be able to cope more effectively. To solo parents and overseas working parents, it is highly recommended that they establish good communication with their children in order to reduce the gap in the relationship and create better understanding of each other. To the academe and the research field, it is recommended that further studies regarding this topic be made. These studies may dwell into the cases of orphaned children, children left in the care of foster families or similar institutions; these studies may also focus on the perspective of the parents, seeing the other side of the coin. These further studies are recommended in order to obtain data from a larger sample and in order to generate a more detailed study which will cover not only the perceptions and concepts as defined by the children but also those of the parents and other members of the family involved along with other factors that may affect such cases.