Children's Lived Experiences of Parental Extramarital Relationship

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Master in family counseling, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University

2 PhD in Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the lived experiences of children whose parents had extramarital relationships.
 
Method: This qualitative research utilized an interpretive phenomenological approach. The study population consisted of children aged 18-22 years whose parents had extramarital relationships. Using targeted and snowball sampling methods, 10 children were selected until data saturation was achieved. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed according to the method of Smith and Osborne (2015).
 
Results: Six main themes were extracted from the data: 1) children's exposure to parents' extramarital relationships, 2) children's interpretation of parents' extramarital relations, 3) changes experienced by the child within the family, 4) personal injuries inflicted on the child, 5) interpersonal injuries inflicted on the child, and 6) posttraumatic growth following parents' extramarital relations. The essence of the children's experience was "the desire to restore the family and return to the conditions before the extramarital relationship occurred, while being aware of its impossibility."
 
Conclusion: The findings suggest that children's lives are profoundly affected by parents' extramarital relationships in multiple ways. It is necessary to provide support systems tailored to the needs of these families.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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