The Description of Family Quality of Life in Parents with Empty-Nest Syndrome

Abstract

The goal of this study is to obtain the description of family quality of life in parents with empty-nest syndrome. Empty-nest syndrome is a common phenomenon which occurs when child is grown up and decides to be live separately with the parent. The phenomenon takes place when child is entering the early adulthood phase and faced with various experiences which commonly occurs as an adult. Generally, an adult has the opportunity to get higher education in college, or to focus on their jobs and career, or to choose marriage with their romantic partner. When these things happen, parents who get used on raising and nurturing their child for years have the possibility on being 'empty' after child's departure. This existing phenomenon calls to be studied to see the family quality of life with a couple of parents who experiences the empty-nest syndrome as the analysis unit. This study was studied using a phenomenological qualitative approach to explore the subjective understanding of parents in dealing with this phenomenon. Participants in this study were three pairs of parents who are in the middle adult development phase and live separately from their children because the children are married/working/studying. The interview process lasted for one month (November -December 2020). Data were obtained through interviews as a form of screening for signs of empty-nest syndrome experienced by subjects, then continued with interviews related to dimensions of family quality of life. The results showed that the subject's empty-nest syndrome affects the dimensions of the quality of family life, especially emotional well-being, which is marked by the subject's feelings of sadness 1-3 months after the child's departure. Other dimensions such as family interaction, parenting, and physical/material well-being also change in each subject.

Comparing the Efficacy of Schema Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in Negative Mood, Psychological Resilience, and Quality of Life in Women with Type 2 Diabetes

“…One aspect of positive psychology is quality of life, which is a sense of well-being (Taziki et al, 2021). Quality of life contributes to health and happiness in individuals and their enjoyment of a healthy life (Bongyoga & Risnawaty, 2021;Mofid et al, 2017). Quality of life is a concept that has seen significant efforts in definition and objective measurement over the past three decades (Hamel, 2019).…”

Peran Dukungan Sosial Dan Resiliensi Terhadap Kualitas Kehidupan Orang Tua Empty Nest

“…Anak yang sudah menikah umumnya akan tinggal terpisah dengan orang tua untuk meminimalisir campur tangan orang tua terhadap kehidupan rumah tangga sang anak (Saputra et al, 2017). Sedangkan anak yang ingin tinggal terpisah dari orang tua walaupun belum menikah terjadi karena mereka berkeinginan untuk belajar hidup secara mandiri, ingin memulai karir di lingkungan yang berbeda, dan menuntut ilmu di kota atau negara yang berbeda (Bongyoga & Risnawaty, 2021). Orang tua yang mengerti keinginan anaknya tentu akan mengijinkan hal tersebut, namun orang tua biasanya akan mengalami Empty-Nest Syndrome.…”

“…Empty nest adalah fase transisi ketika orang tua benar-benar tinggal terpisah dengan anaknya. Ketika menghadapi fase ini, sebagian orang tua akan merasa sedih, kesepian, dan terisolasi (Bongyoga & Risnawaty, 2021). Orang tua merasa bahwa mereka tidak lagi menjalankan tanggung jawab dan aktivitas yang biasanya dilakukan untuk anak (Mansoor & Salma Hasan, 2019).…”

“…Penelitian dilakukan terhadap orang tua yang sudah atau sedang tinggal terpisah dengan anak-anaknya. Sampel dari penelitian ini berjumlah 187 orang tua yang berasal dari berbagai kota di Indonesia dengan rentang usia pada 45-65 tahun sesuai dengan usia orang tua dalam masa pertumbuhan midlife atau perkembangan usia dewasa menengah (Bongyoga & Risnawaty, 2021). Pengambilan data dilakukan pada bulan April hingga Juni 2022.…”