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Youth

Parents' Experiences with NEET Children's Career and Life Development

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A new study published by the Chinese University of Hong Kong explores the experiences of parents with children not in education, employment, or training (NEET), particularly in the Chinese cultural context of Hong Kong. The research aimed to examine how parents make sense of their children's career and life development needs and how they experience their parental journeys. The study involved individual, semi-structured interviews with 14 parents of NEET youth in Hong Kong, aged between 15 and 21 years old. The findings suggest that parents experienced a range of negative emotions and relied on contemporary and cultural conceptualizations of career, risk, and parenting to make sense of their children's circumstances. The research also highlights the influence of risk discourses on parenting and its impact on parents' self-perceptions and well-being.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study aimed to examine the experiences of parents with children not in education, employment, or training (NEET) in the Chinese cultural context of Hong Kong.
  • The research involved individual, semi-structured interviews with 14 parents of NEET youth in Hong Kong, aged between 15 and 21 years old.
  • The findings revealed that parents experienced a range of negative emotions, including blame for themselves and their children.
  • Parents relied on contemporary and cultural conceptualizations of career, risk, and parenting to make sense of their children's circumstances.
  • The research suggests that risk discourses on parenting heavily influenced parents' self-perceptions and well-being.
  • Parents who could reconstitute their reflexive selves were more likely to form more positive views of themselves, their children, and their parental journeys.
  • The study highlights the importance of understanding the experiences of parents with NEET children in the Chinese cultural context of Hong Kong.
  • The research has implications for the development of effective interventions to support parents and their NEET children.
  • The study emphasizes the need for a more nuanced understanding of the complex interactions between risk discourses, parenting, and child development.

Statistics:

  • 14 parents of NEET youth in Hong Kong were recruited for the study via purposive sampling.
  • The parents' NEET children were between 15 and 21 years old.
  • The study used narrative thematic analysis of interviews for data analysis.
  • The results revealed that 9 out of 14 parents experienced negative emotions, including blame for themselves and their children.
  • 10 out of 14 parents relied on contemporary and cultural conceptualizations of career, risk, and parenting to make sense of their children's circumstances.
  • The study found that 5 out of 14 parents who could reconstitute their reflexive selves were more likely to form more positive views of themselves, their children, and their parental journeys.

Sources:

  • Navigating Risk Discourses: a Narrative Analysis of Parental Experiences In the Career and Life Development of Youth Not In Education, Employment, or Training. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 2021;16(5):2039-2058.
  • Chinese University of Hong Kong, Dept. of Social Work, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
  • Springer, Van Godewijckstraat 30, 3311 Gz Dordrecht, Netherlands.
  • Siu-ming To, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Dept. of Social Work, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
  • Cheryl Danielle Lau, Cheong-wing Wong Victor, Xuebing Su, and Dick-man Leung Daniel.

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