The impact of parental infidelity among late adolescents\u27 perception of parenthood

The family is the first social environment of children which has a significant influence on their growth and development. If there were disruptions in the family system such as interparental conflicts, this could eventually lead to parental infidelity and may cause a negative impact on the children which would then affect them as they transition to higher developmental stages-- especially late adolescence wherein they engage in romantic relationships. The current study focuses on 16 late adolescents, ranging from 18-24 years old, who have experienced parental infidelity and its effect on their perception of parenthood. Using semi-structured interview and interpretative phenomenological analysis, the researchers were able to make meaning out of the experiences through 4 main issues: 1) how participants would like to raise their children, 2) what their expecttions are with their future partner, 3) how they want their relationship would be with their children, and 4) what values they want to instill to their children. Under these issues, various themes emerged from the interview data and revealed the underlying patterns which would support and answer the research questions intended for this paper