Exploring the journey of parenting to understand parents’ perceptions of their families’ relationships

This dissertation explores the experiences of parents’ journeys of parenting and seeks to understand their perceptions of their families’ relationships. Seven sets of co-parents, a total of fourteen participants, were interviewed using paired depth semi-structured interviews. The interview data was analysed using a thematic analysis. The current study adopts a critical realist ontological position and an epistemological position of contextualism. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the data as this method gives the freedom to have the structure placed upon the method determined by the needs of the research study.

Two superordinate themes were identified, with each containing three subordinate themes, which collectively have a total of eight themes. The first superordinate theme highlighted the parents’ experiences of their parenting relationships, in relation to three subordinate themes; that of ‘parental solidarity’, ‘differences in individual parenting styles’ and ‘parents connecting with each other through their shared role of parenting’. The second superordinate theme identified the parents’ experiences of their parent-child relationships, in relation to three subordinate themes; that of ‘parents tune into their children’s needs’, ‘parents connecting with their children’, and ‘parent’s aspirations for their children’s futures influences their ways of being with their children’.

Existing literature on parents’ experiences of parenthood and of parenting interventions was utilised to shed light on the study’s findings. The clinical significance included a recommendation for the application of the findings to a parenting intervention that centres around supporting the development of healthy co-parenting relationships and strengthening familial relationships. Further qualitative research on this specific type of intervention as experienced by a diverse demographic of co-parenting units is recommended.