Digital Communication in Single-Parent Families

Abstract

This study examines digital communication patterns between single parents and Generation Z children and their role in maintaining family resilience. The study involved four single-parent families as informants. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using a holistic interactive approach. To ensure research ethics, all participants’ identities were anonymized. The findings indicate that parent–child digital communication is predominantly practical, selective, and oriented toward everyday coordination. Routine communication through text messages and phone calls helps maintain connectedness by facilitating daily monitoring, coordinating academic and household activities, and expressing simple forms of care. Communication intended to maintain relationships is evident in brief supportive messages, whereas emotionally expressive communication occurs less frequently, as both parents and children tend to be selective in discussing personal or psychological issues. Despite the limited intensity of emotional communication, consistent digital interactions contribute to relationship stability and effective family functioning. Family resilience is supported through the combination of children’s independence, parental responsibility, and regular communication that enables everyday coordination and mutual support. These findings suggest that in single-parent families, digital communication functions primarily as a flexible and adaptive mechanism for maintaining family relationships and supporting resilience in daily life.