CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
INTRODUCTION
A parent is neither a mother nor father, who nurtures, raises and take care of a child in every single way. Usually a parental figure provide physical needs for the child, protect them from harm and impart in them the cultural values and skills until they reach the legal adulthood and can provide for themselves.
Technically defining, Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the activity of raising a child rather than the biological relationship. (www.wikipedia.org)
Parenting usually comes in couple, a mother and a father since a child is produced by means of a male and a female who had sexual intercourse. But at this point of time there is a significant increase in number of single parents, raising a child on their own, without their respective partner. There are a lot of factors with these increase, possibly it is either personal, economic, social, etc. or combination of these aspects.
Personal choice to be a single parent is one factor, some reason under this could be need to finish studying first, the child was not in the plan, it was just an accident that became a parent, not yet the proper time to get married, and a lot more. The second factor was economic; it is a lot more about financial, the expenses when they get married, they’re respective partner doesn’t have a good job, or thinking about its hard to go out of the country when they get married. The third factor was social, under this factor was the family were disagreed to get married, they don’t accept the father/mother of the child and lot more like this.
Being a single parent has an advantages and disadvantages, positive and negative parts. But the disadvantages weigh more than the advantage, like the fact that single parent families are at a higher risk of poverty than couple families, and on average single mothers have poorer health than couple mothers. Like some people said that two is better than one, single parent doesn’t have a partner raising their child that’s why it is harder to them. People often to think about the future and the consequences of a decision, they weigh the factors, its advantages and disadvantages before deciding, but the point of view of a person is different from another; people have their own reason and outlook behind a decision. It was not more about the advantages and disadvantages, it’s the perspective. In this research, the core of the study is why there is a significant increase in numbers of single parenthood. To know the leading reason behind this, the factors that affects and forces them to come up with this decision and the effects of being a single parent on their life.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The purpose of the study is to determine why there is a significant increase in numbers of single parenthood. Specifically, the researchers ought to answer the following questions:
1. What are the reasons why the respondents decided to be a single parent?
2. What are the factors that contributed to their decision to be a single parent?
3. What are the effects of single parenthood to the respondents?
4. How do the respondents deal with the effects of single parenthood in terms of:
a. Social factor
b. Emotional factor
c. Spiritual factor
d. Financial factor

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY To be able to determine the reasons why there is an increase in numbers of single parenthood and the effects of it on their life.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION The core of the study is about determining the reason of increasing number of single parenthood in Gordon Heights, Olongapo City; furthermore, the participants will be limited to 30 respondents.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Ida jean Orlando was born on August 12, 1926. She received a diploma in nursing from New York Medical College, Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital School of nursing, in New York in 1947. She was recognized as pioneer in the field of nursing, known for her theory and developed the nursing process. She developed this theory in the late 1950’s.
The nursing process is not as complicated as it seems. It consists of basically five steps. Originally, Ms. Orlando had four, but through practical application over the past 40 years, one step evolved into two and now there are five. The five steps are assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation.
The assessment is the data collection step; it also entails analyzing the data and possibly making a more complex and in-depth assessment based on the findings. Once you have collected the data, the process moves on to analysis of the data and determine the problem. In this research, it relates as the assessment of the situation and the problem of the single parent.
After the assessment is the diagnosis, it is like stating the problem. Describing the need and what should be prioritizing. If you related this in the research it is like stating the options of the single parent.
The third step is the planning phase which also means setting and choosing of goal. This is about how to eliminate the problem and improve the situation. It is like choosing on the option in the part of the single parents.
The fourth step is the implementation phase, it is the part where you act and execute your plan. It is performing what you planned and go with your decision. In the research, it relates as the going to the decision in the part of the single parent.
The nursing process is an ongoing process; the last part of it is the evaluation phase. The evaluation involves not only analyzing the success or failure of the current goals and intervention, but examining the need for adjustments and changes as well. Evaluation leads back to assessment and the whole process begin again.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK According to the theory used, the nursing process model by Ida Jean Orlando, there is five steps, the assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. But in this research it relates as the situation, options, choose then act and evaluate.
The situation is the set of circumstances that the single parent is faced with. It is the problem that needed to solve, the conflicts that wanted to arrange and the conditions that need to do or give up.
After the situation is identified, there are the options that came up for the problems; it is the either excellent or awful solution to the problem and the choices for the better or worse. Then the single parent require to choose, as it is the next to options in the process, the single parent need to choose the best option in her perception, the best way for her and the child.
The fourth phase in the process is act; the single parent will act what he chosen, follow her decision, and face the challenges and the consequences that are included in her choice.
The last phase of the process is evaluate, after the consequences of her choice, she will evaluate what she need to change and must added to the circumstances in order to make it better. Then the single parent will be on the situation again then the cycle continues.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Parenting – The process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the activity of raising a child rather than the biological relationship.
Single parent – a term that is mostly used to suggest that one parent has most of the day to day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children. A single parent is a parent with one or more children, who is neither married, nor living together with his or her partners. In typical cases, she or he may be so after divorce, after giving birth to a child outside marriage, or after his or her spouse died.
Nursing process – is a modified scientific method, it serves as an organizational framework for the practice of nursing, comprising five broad categories of nursing behaviors: assessing, analyzing or diagnosing, planning, implementing, and evaluating.