OVERSIZED SHOES TO FILL: A STUDY ON PARENTIFICATION AND FAMILY DYNAMICS AMONG YOUTHS IN SINGAPORE-PARENT FAMILIES

Abstract

Singapore sees a growing presence of single-parent family structures in society, leading to more children from single-parent families today. Family dynamics in single-parent families inevitably changes with one less parent in the household. Parentification thus occurs when children from these families find themselves taking on more responsibilities that are developmentally and socially inappropriate. This qualitative study will examine how familial structure may influence parentification among children from single-parent families. It will include the personal recounts of youths from these families retrospectively. Amidst analyzing the structural factors in influencing the likelihood of parentification, this thesis will critically analyze whether social structure or child’s agency play a bigger role in manifesting parentification. Additionally, studying the child’s coping mechanisms in response to their parentification experience can inform us greatly about the level of agency they possess. Through analyzing the responses from 11 semi-structured interviews, I conclude that single-parent family structures play a crucial role in influencing parentification. However, findings showed that a child’s agency can also be established through parentification itself as a form of coping mechanism to achieve familial stability. Furthermore, while social structures have been found to determine the level of agency a child possess, each child’s form of coping mechanism allows them to navigate and influence the form of parentification they may experience. Therefore, I hope that these findings can provide greater insights to children’s experience of parentification in single-parent families so that more support can be rendered to these “little heroes” in achieving their own forms of familial stability.