CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Introduction

Family is known as the pillar of the society which is said to be the most significant

component of the country. A family should be composed of a father, a mother and their offspring,

bonded by their love for each other. It is an essential factor for a man’s whole being and everything

about him relies on the structure of a family he lives in.

Everyone is entitled to have their own family. According to the family code of the Philippines, a

family must be composed of different members who will be able to support one another because the

love of the family is the reflection of what kinds of society where we belong. You can only tell a house a

home when it is complete and not broken. It is expected that the children would have a good

relationship with their parents. The parents must also fulfill their responsibilities in the family. They are

the first ones to educate their children because the first live schooling starts from home.

When the family unit does not properly function according to accepted societal norms, the

household is described as a broken home. Marriage is still believed by many Filipino families. Perfect

family is what every child dreams of. Divorce is not legal in the Philippines. Those couple who are

separated only choose annulment and it is the only way to terminate their marriage legal. Filing

annulment in the Philippines is at high cost so only those who can afford to file annulment. Because of

the children, couple still want to fix their marriage. But a Filipino family also change their way of thinking

in this modern age. Many are involved in a broken family nowadays. People thinking that teenagers

doing such nasty acts are rooted to family disorientation are very usual. Child's mislead life is blamed to

separated parents as showed by countless studies. A lot of Filipino families nowadays encounter broken

families caused by marriage separation. Separation of married couples is not rare in the Philippines.
There is still a high rate of annulment among Filipino couple despite the absence of a divorce law,

Galang (2015). Broken families and crime cause plague on half of the world's community. Marriage has

become less important and that is the cause of the problem over the past few decades. The key to

mending the broken society is better parenting and stronger families. The root of nearly every other

social problem and panthology is the breakdown of the world's family. Most children grew up intact in

two-parent families. Almost every family is changed by illegitimacy, divorce and other lifestyle choices,

and thus have changed the social landscape.

Bubelwa (2014), the incidences of broken marriages are on the increase as well as the failure of

children in all levels of education. Divorce, separation and death of the parents are the aspect of the

broken families. It is not easy for the family members to be part of a broken family. Broken home is

related to the increased stress and emotional difficulties among the children. The product of broken

family could cause the children to suffer loneliness (or isolated). Children are the one who got most

affected. As the home become inadequate, children respond disrespectful words towards their parents.

It needs to be given attention and be solved as it is one of the major problems in the

Philippines. It does not only affect the country but also the child’s growth. An individual who came from

a broken family often has negative impact to the society. Filipinos traditionally prioritize first their

families because it gives them strength and courage to do what is right. Anti-social behavior of the

society is also a result of a broken family.

A broken family is defined as a family that has separated due to variety of reasons or problems

that we will know on the next part of this research. Broken family can cause children to question their

self-worth, to question themselves why they aren’t enough to make their family work. It can affect their

whole life, especially in their studies because their mind is occupied about the fact that they surrounded

by students who came from complete and happy family, feeling envious because they also want to

experience the love and care from a complete family. It can also affect their emotions because they
think that one who should support them and be there for them on their ups and downs are the one who

hurt their feelings.

Shakira (2014), Broken family is one where the parents of a child or children have split up and no

longer share a single-family home as a family unit. This is known as a shattered home.

Both develop and under develop countries are facing the universal phenomenal which is

the problem of broken homes. Lack of communication and understanding usually results to broken

families. Too many arguments often caused by money and affair that might lead to divorce.

Children from broken families tend to experience severe problems at a very young age. They are

said to be less successful and happy as they grow up. Lacking family stability may cause them to lose the

basic concepts of their childhood. Children are emotionally and socially distressed because of their

parents’ separation.

Moges and Weber (2014), If a child’s parents are always fighting, this will add more stress to the

family and also may emotionally damage a child. As stated previously, parents have some say in how a

child is emotionally. A child will also see how their parents interact and their imitate behavior, as well as

negative energy.

According to CPC acts (2014), when a family break up it is usually difficult for everyone. It is like

a death which bring with it feelings of grief and loss. Most people need time to get used to the changes

and each person’s response can be very different. Parents try to grapple with their own feelings while

they make practical and very important decisions that mean the end of a special relationship between a

child and a parent. Children need the on-going love and support of both parents.

Welton (2016), Broken homes will not necessarily hinder a child’s development or cognitive

ability, however, it may cause a problem with their education or behavior. On average, a single parent or

divorced parents earn less money than a married family does, making it harder to pursue things that

their children might need for education or other needs, causing further problems in the future. It is
important for families to understand how to provide a stable and safe home for children to grow up in

to limit problems, such as these.

Theoretical Framework

This study will be anchored on the behaviorism theory by Skinner.

According to this theory, a special note needs to be added here to address the issue of "the

children" involved in a separation or divorce situation. Always remember that children may be resilient,

but their armor is only so thick. Children know more, see more and hear more than you think. If staying

together is creating an emotionally troubling situation for them, perhaps separation is the best option.

This is undoubtedly one of the toughest times to be a parent, but your children need to know what's

happening. You may think that hiding the severity of the situation protects them, but it actually leaves

children feeling confused and may drive them away as they feel they can't trust you.

The amount of information you give them will depend on their ages, but they should be

encouraged to ask as many questions as they need. Remember, you don't have to hide your feelings to

reassure them that they're loved. In fact, sharing appropriately what you feel will help them make sense

of their own emotions and feel OK about showing them.

When talking with your children about separation or divorce, it is important to be honest, but

not critical of your spouse. Most children want to know why their lives are being upset. Depending on

the age of your children and reason for divorce, this may require some diplomacy. As children mature,

they will probably want more information.

Each person in the relationship has their own set of needs, dreams, expectations and goals which they

need to be aware of, and need to be able to express to others. Unstated expectations can be

problematic. People in relationship (e.g. friends, lovers, partners, parents, and children) often have

different ideas about what the nature of the relationship is, or different expectations about what it takes
to keep it healthy. It is better to know where the differences of opinion, expectations, or needs are,

rather than to operate on inaccurate assumptions.

Family therapy deals with the couple or family and not just one person. It helps families, or individuals

within a family, understand and improve the way family members interact with each other and resolve

conflicts.

Family therapy is a type of psychotherapy that works with families and couples. It emphasizes

family relationships as an important factor in psychological health. As such, family problems are seen in

relation to family interactions, rather than to be based only on individual members. Family therapists

tend to focus on what goes between people; that is, on how patterns of interaction within the family

may foster or maintain the problem.

A family therapist may point out interaction patterns and behaviors that the family might have

not noticed or the therapist may suggest different ways of responding to other family members. These

changes will effect each individual within the family and there will be repercussions in the whole system

that hopefully will leading to a resolution of problems.

This will be used since the main purpose of the study is to describe the challenges encountered

by children from broken families.

Statement of the Problem

The study will aim to determine the challenges encountered by the children who are product of the

broken homes.

Specifically, this will seek to answer the following questions:

1. How do the co-researchers describe their experience on being the product of the broken

homes?
 2. What are the challenges encountered by the children?

3. What are the themes emerged from the study?

4. Based from the findings, what compilation of success stories can be produced?

Scope and Delimitation

The study looked in the situation of children from broken families and the challenges

encountered by the selected co-researchers in the community. The study will be an interpretative

phenomenological inquiry and observed the existing phenomenon through the lens of the researcher

who also happens to be a child from broken families in the community. The subject of the study will be

limited to selected three (3) co-researchers.

Significance of the Study

The findings of the study may provide vital information regarding the lives of children from

broken families as well as the challenges they encounter. In particular, the study may benefit the

following:

Students. This study will lead to the importance of family foundation in every students. To

apprise them on how they will face that situation and solve that kind of problem and for them to

prevent depression that may affect their studies.

Parents. This study will contribute awareness among the parents who are related with the

occurrence of broken families as well as those who are really not. They will be enlightened about the

effects of their actions especially to their children whom they left. There would be a possibility of such

reconciliation with the family because of knowing the situation of their children whom they are

expected to care for.

 Teachers. This study will inform them about the challenges encountered by their students and

for them to know how they will be able to help their students to cope up with the problem and may

stand as a guardian.

Future Researchers. They may use findings from this study to launch additional studies that may

correlate the challenges encountered by children from broken families. The researcher hopes that this

study will be able to stimulate further research in.

Definition of Terms

 Pillar- a person or thing regarded as reliably providing essential support for something.

 Fulfill- bring to completion or reality; achieve or realize (something desired, promised, or

predicted).

 Societal Norms- the accepted behavior that an individual is expected to conform to in a particular

group, community, or culture.

 Shattered- To shatter can also mean to end or damage; to end or severely damage something.

 Phenomenal- perceptible by the senses or through immediate experience; exceedingly or

unbelievably great

 Infidelity- the action or state of being unfaithful to a spouse or other sexual partner; unbelief in a

particular religion, especially Christianity.

 Domestic Violence- violent or aggressive behavior within the home, typically involving the violent

abuse of a spouse or partner.

 Animosity- strong dislike, opposition or anger

 Distressed- suffering from anxiety, sorrow, or pain.

 Grapple- to fight, especially in order to win something

 Cognitive- means relating to the mental process involved in knowing, learning, and understanding

things.

 Though-est - able to endure hardship or pain; strong enough to withstand adverse conditions or

rough or careless handling.

 Spouse- a husband or wife, considered in relation to their partner.

 Diplomacy- the art of dealing with people in a sensitive and effective way.

 Psychotherapy- the treatment of mental disorder by psychological rather than medical mean

 Foster- bring up (a child that is not one's own by birth).

 Repercussion- the effect that an action, event, or decision has on something, especially a bad

effect.