THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF YOUNG ADULTS FROM BROKEN FAMILIES WITH SEPARATED HOUSEHOLDS

Separation is a common occurrence among married couples. While some families live in single-parent households after the separation, some couples remarry and form new families, leaving their children behind. Thus, this study aimed to identify the lived experiences of individuals from broken families living apart from their parents and how these experiences have affected their social-emotional development. Furthermore, this study also seeks to identify their developed coping strategies. In this study, five (5) Filipino young adults were interviewed. Themes are achieved through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), where findings of the study have shown that (1) most individuals from broken families experienced a lack of guidance, doubting self-worth, and identity crisis, which hinders their personal growth and understanding of self; (2) they were emotionally-challenged due to feelings of insecurity to family status, and lack of belongingness; (3) the phenomenon has greatly affected their relationship with their parents, and that their relationship with their caregivers and friends are stronger than with their parents; (4) their experiences has affected their sense of trust which led them to become emotionally inarticulate, selective with friends and leans for solitude; and (5) unhealthy coping strategies hinders the individual from developing their social-emotional skills. Overall, the research findings should prompt policy-makers, and helping professionals to create interventions to help these individuals.