Exploring the Lived Experiences of Solo Parents Raised by Solo Parents Through the Pagdadala Model

Proponent/s Name/s (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

• Sandrine C. Vallesteros, De La Salle UniversityFollow
• Hillary V. Ortega, De La Salle UniversityFollow
• Luis Antonio G. Sauco, De La Salle UniversityFollow
• Noah P. Rey, De La Salle UniversityFollow
• Claire Angelica D. Zarate, De La Salle UniversityFollow

Document Types

Paper Presentation

Research Theme (for Paper Presentation and Poster Presentation submissions only)

Family, Relations, and Social Structure (FRS)

School Name

De La Salle University

Track or Strand

Humanities and Social Science (HUMSS)

Research Advisor (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)

Gopez, Christian, P.

Start Date

25-6-2026 10:30 AM

End Date

25-6-2026 12:00 PM

Zoom Link/ Room Assignment

DLSU Laguna Campus (In-person) - Enrique K. Razon Jr. Hall - EKR 407

Abstract/Executive Summary

Solo parenthood in the Philippines is often associated with financial, emotional, and relationship challenges, particularly among individuals who were also raised by solo parents. Despite the proportion of the growing number of solo-parent families, limited studies have examined and explored these intergenerational experiences through an indigenous Filipino psychological framework. Grounded in Decenteceo’s Pagdadala Model, this study explored the lived experiences of solo parents raised by solo parents and how their childhood experiences shaped their current parenting practices, responsibilities, and aspirations. The study examined the roles and responsibilities they assumed, the challenges and turning points they encountered, the ways they manage these experiences, and the meaning they attached to solo parenthood. Using a qualitative narrative inquiry design, the study gathered narratives from five solo parents through semi-structured interviews. The narrative accounts were developed through repeated readings of field texts and interpreted using the Pagdadala Model as a culturally grounded and relevant framework for understanding burden-bearing experiences. Findings revealed that the informants’ experiences as children of solo parents had a significant influence on how they approached parenting, caregiving, discipline, financial provision, and emotional support. Their narratives highlighted recurring experiences of financial hardship, shifting roles, resilience, and relying on their family and community support systems. Becoming solo parents themselves also deepened their understanding and appreciation of the sacrifices made by their own solo parents. The study concludes that solo parenthood is shaped by intergenerational experiences and relational forms of burden-bearing embedded within Filipino family life.

Keywords

lived experiences, solo parents, broken families, Pagdadala Model, Filipino family

Initial Consent for Publication

no

Statement of Originality

yes