Parenteen: Parent-Daughter Relationships in the Context of an Unintended Teenage Pregnancy
de Jesus, G.A. & Samson, G.P. (2016). Parenteen: Parent-daughter relationships in the context of un unintended teenage pregnancy. Unpublished undergraduate thesis, University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication.
The study looked into the dynamics of parent-daughter relationships among mothers, fathers, and daughters who experienced unintended teenage pregnancy. It took into account the dynamics between parents and daughters before, during, and after the incidence of pregnancy. Past literature on the subject indicated that parents were mostly uncomfortable with recognizing the sexuality of children due to their schema that sexuality is a subject exclusive for adults. In the Philippines, research literature pointed out that parents’ high regard for deeply embedded cultural values, such as respect, indebtedness, and shame, converge and influence the manner of parental adjustment to unexpected and non-normative events such as an unintended teenage pregnancy. The researchers interviewed seven families whose daughters experienced unintended teenage pregnancy by talking to each family’s mother, father, and daughter separately about sex-related issues and behavior. The informants were also asked about their experiences regarding the event. It was found that the parents either resigned to the situation immediately or resisted it at first due to its non-normative nature. Those who initially resisted, however, eventually reconciled it with parental responsibility, which they saw as an unending obligation that extends to the time when the daughters are already mothers themselves. Parents accepted their daughters only after wrestling with the idea for months.
Key words: Parent-daughter relationship, teenage pregnancy, schemata, family communication