The adolescents' experience of living with a single-parent

Abstract

Adolescents living with single-parents might be facing some difficulties due to their family structure. This study was aimed to verify whether this implication is real by comparing adolescents that were living with single-parents to those who were living with both parents. It also aimed at discovering the future aspirations of adolescents in an attempt to identify whether there was significant difference between the two groups. The views of professionals working with these adolescents were also included to set the scenario of single-parenthood and establish the adolescents' common challenges. A qualitative approach was taken to establish contact with adolescents and to achieve a deeper meaning of their experience regarding their family life. Semi-structured interviews were used to instigate discussion, allowing participants to express their ideas freely. When possible the interviews were conducted in the adolescents' house. Home visits enabled the observation of their environment which aids in understanding their family lifestyle further. The interviews were recorded to create a more natural setting and to have the opportunity to observe the adolescents' non-verbal language. There was no significant difference between the education type and future aspiration between the two groups. This implies that other external factors not related to family structure influence the adolescents' educational attainment and their aspirations. The well-being of adolescents was analysed against several themes. These include the type of housing and household management, parents' occupation, relationship with parents and the extent to which adolescents were influenced by peers. The well-being of adolescents was subject to the identified themes however there was no significant difference between the two groups. The data acquired showed that the well-being of adolescents was not exclusively dependent on the family structure and no difference was observed between the two groups. Notwithstanding that single-parented households were more at-risk of poverty; adolescents living in such households were not disadvantaged in terms of wellbeing and future aspirations when compared to adolescents living with both parents. The individual characteristics of the households determined the wellbeing of the adolescents, such as the presence of mental health problems and the type of relationships among family members.