Understanding Parental Separation Effects

Introduction

• Parental separation is a common and challenging experience that can negatively affect a learner's academic progress, emotional well-being, and behavior.
• The quality of parent-child relationships is crucial in lessening the negative effects of parental separation.
• Parental separation can cause decreased academic achievement and increased behavioral problems among children in the Philippines.
• The impact can vary depending on factors like parent-child relationship quality, parental efficacy, and stressful life events.

Complex Effects of Parental Separation

• Parental separation can increase stress, anxiety, and depression in children.
• It can also provide opportunities for resilience, adaptability, and coping skills.
• The impact varies based on cultural context and societal norms.
• In the Philippines, strong family ties can make it difficult for children to cope with separation due to loyalty to parents.

Impacts on Behavior

• Parental separation significantly influences a child's emotional, social, and academic development.
• Emotional distress can manifest as sadness, anxiety, or anger, with children feeling loss, confusion, or guilt.
• Behavioral changes include aggression, disobedience, passivity, or introversion, often due to instability at home.
• Social relationships may suffer, with children struggling to build trust or fearing abandonment.
• Consistent conflict between parents can lead to negative attitudes toward marriage and commitment, as well as low self-worth if children internalize the separation as a personal failure.
• Open communication, reassurance, and stability from both parents can help children adjust more effectively.

Aims of Study

• The current study aims to explore the effects of parental separation on youth's behavior.
• The study focuses on the role of parent-child relationships and social support in mitigating these effects.

Background of the Study

• A family provides emotional and psychological security through warmth and love.
• Parental separation affects children and other family members, occurring through divorce, formal separation, or informal separation.
• Parental separation can have serious effects on a child's emotional, social, and behavioral development.
• Young adults may exhibit emotions such as sadness, anger, and fear, and may display maladaptive behavior in social relationships, like avoidance, disrespect, and aggression.
• Behavioral changes include aggression, anxiety, sadness, and academic problems.
• Numerous factors, including changing living situations, limited parental participation, and money problems influence the changes.
• The absence of one parent, especially when disagreement is present, impacts a child's mental health.
• This issue makes it essential for parents, educators, and mental health experts to understand how parental separation affects the behavior of young people.

Statement of the Problem

• Consistent research indicates that parental separation is associated with a higher risk of mental health problems in children and adolescents.
• Adolescents from separated families are more likely to experience emotional and behavioral problems, as well as psychiatric disorders.
• Children lacking parental guidance may experience feelings of emptiness and low self-esteem.
• The absence of a parent's love and emotional support can lead to emotional numbness.

Research Questions

• How does parental separation affect children's social behaviors?
• How does parental separation affect children's self-confidence?
• How do children perceive parental separation?

Research Objectives

• To investigate the effects of parental separation on children's social behaviors.
• To identify the factors that contribute to changes in children's self-confidence after parental separation.
• To explore and understand how children perceive parental separation.

Research Assumptions

• Children may have trouble communicating or stutter due to socialization challenges.
• Teenagers may seek more independence, leading to rebellious behavior or relationship changes.
• The ability to recognize and manage emotions influences how children perceive and adjust to parental separation.

Conceptual Framework

• The study focuses on the behavior of children caused by their parents' separation.
• Researchers will interview young people to understand their behavior and the effects of their parents' separation.
• Aims include developing recommendations to help young people cope and helping parents acknowledge their children's feelings.

Significance of the Study

• Teachers can learn about behavioral changes in students due to parental separation.
• Students may gain power and understanding of their experiences and emotions.
• The Department of Education (DepEd) may develop programs and teacher training.
• Parents may understand how their separation can affect their kids' behavior.
• Schools can develop support networks, like peer support groups and counseling programs.
• Future researchers may use findings as a basis for exploring the long-term effects of parental separation on youth.

Scopes, Limitations, and Delimitations

• The scope encompasses various aspects of youth behavior, including emotional, social, and academic development.
• Limitations include reliance on self-reported data from youth participants, the study's focus on a specific age range (13-19 years old), and geographic location (the Philippines).
• Delimitations include experiences of youth who have experienced parental separation due to divorce, separation, or abandonment.

Definition of Terms

• Parental Separation: The process where parents end their marital or cohabitation relationship, leading to changes in the child's living arrangements or routine.
• Child's Behavior: Observable actions or responses, including emotional and social reactions, exhibited by a child in different settings (home, school, social).
• Impact: The effect parental separation has on the childs behavior, emotional state, and social interactions, measured through observations and reports.
• Emotional Regulation: The childs ability to manage and express emotions like anger or sadness in an adaptive way.
• Social Interaction: The childs engagement with peers and adults, including communication, forming relationships, and seeking support.

Literature Review

• The quality of the parent-child relationship significantly influences a child's emotional and behavioral well-being following parental separation.
• Dissolution of high-quality parental relationships has the most detrimental impact on children.
• Temporary parental separation has profound negative effects on young children, leading to increased conduct and hyperactivity problems.
• High conflict with the parent they lived with after separation tended to develop more emotional issues.
• Young adults generally experienced more drawbacks than benefits following parental separation.
• Young adults face emotional responses, including sadness, confusion, anger, fear, frustration, and envy.
• Parental separation increases the risk of depression recurrence and bipolar disorder in adulthood.
• Parental separation is associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, hostility, and social withdrawal in adolescents.
• Parental separation can have a negative impact on socioeconomic status, academic achievement, and self-concept.
• Prolonged parent-child separation is linked to lower educational attainment, increased likelihood of depression, early marriage/cohabitation, and smoking in adolescence and emerging adulthood.
• The impact of parental separation on a student's mental health and academic performance, demonstrates emotional distress and negative consequences.
• Lack of bonding causes mental and emotional development, posing a significant threat to one's well-being.
• Children of divorced or separated parents may experience loyalty conflicts, feeling torn between their parents.
• Adolescents who experience parental separation often face higher risks of emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Synthesis

• Parental separation can have a profound impact on the lives of young people, influencing their emotional, social, and behavioral development.
• Parental separation can have numerous adverse effects on young people, including the loss of emotional support and disruptions to family dynamics.
• The quality of the parent-child relationship prior to separation can moderate the impact of parental separation on youth behavior.
• Youth with a positive pre-separation relationship with their parents may exhibit greater resilience.

Research Methodology

• The design of the research ensures that the study objectives are met in a clear and logical manner.
• The research setting refers to the environment where the study takes place, which can influence the data collected.
• The research instrument is the tool or method used to gather data, such as questionnaires or interviews.
• The research participants are individuals or groups who provide the data necessary for analysis.
• The sampling technique determines how participants are selected, which can impact the study's reliability.
• Data gathering procedures outline the steps involved in collecting and recording the information.

Research Design

• The study adopts a qualitative research design with a humanistic approach.
• The study seeks to explore how parental separation affects their social behavior, self-confidence, and overall perception of family relationships.
• A phenomenological approach is used to capture participants' real-life experiences and emotions.

Research Settings

• The research is centered on youth from Tanza, Cavite.
• The group will consist of 10 youths aged 14-19 years, who may have experienced parental separation.
• Purposive sampling is used to select the participants on the grounds of young individuals who meet the inclusion criteria.
• Different schools and communities in Tanza, Cavite will be used as recruitment locations.
• The study will be guided by the principles of informed consent, confidentiality, and anonymity.

Research Participants

• Adolescents and young adults who have experienced parental separation, as well as their parents or guardians are a factor.
• Researchers may also involve educators, school counselors, and mental health professionals who observe youth behavior in academic and social settings.

Sampling Techniques

• Researches use various methods to gather a representatives group of effects children.

Research Instruments

• The research instrument to be used is an interview.
• Forms are thoughtfully created with a series of questions intended to elicit and produce responses from the respondents.
• Unstructured interview guides with open-ended questions are employed to collect data.

Data Gathering Procedures

• Participants will be selected through purposive sampling.
• Inclusion criteria consist of Filipino youth aged 14-19 who have experienced parental separation and reside in Tanza, Cavite.
• Exclusion criteria will include those outside the age range, non-residents, and those who have not experienced parental separation.
• A total of 10 participants will be recruited through local schools, community centers, and social media.

In-depth Interviews

• A qualitative in-depth interview about this study explored the impact of parental separation on youth behavior, revealing emotional distress, behavioral changes.
• Participants described experiencing feelings of abandonment, anxiety, and confusion, often leading to shifts in academic performance, social interactions, and emotional regulation.
• Participants struggle with aggression, withdrawal, or risky behaviors, highlighting the diverse effects of parental separation on their development.

Focus Group Discussion

• Group discussions showed how family dynamics, emotional well-being, and social interactions are affected by separation.
• By analyzing shared experiences, challenges, protective factors, and interventions that can mitigate negative effects and promote well-being among affected youth.
• This is also why the group focuses on experiences of children who are separated from their families, whether it has had an impact on their studies or how it has affected their lifestyle.

Observation

• Children of separated parents may exhibit a range of behaviors, including increased anxiety, mood swings, or acting out due to the disruption in their family structure.
• Children show signs of emotional distress, such as withdrawal or difficulty with concentration.

Document Analysis

• Parental separation significantly impacts children's behavior, often leading to emotional distress, anxiety, and difficulties in adjusting to new family dynamics.
• Children may exhibit behavioral changes such as increased aggression, withdrawal, or academic struggles as they cope with the loss of family unity.
• The way parents manage the separation, including communication and co-parenting, plays a crucial role in mitigating or exacerbating these behavioral effects.

Ethical Considerations

• Data should ensure ethical research by following established guidelines and obtaining informed consent from both the school administration and participants.
• Maintain confidentiality by keeping all personal and identifiable information secure, private, and anonymous.

Data Analysis

• Thematic analysis will be used to examine how parental separation affects youth behavior.
• The analysis will focus on understanding the emotional, social, and behavioral impacts of parental separation on youth, and how their experiences shape their behaviors and relationships.