Examining the cognitive constructions of intra-family relationships among single-parent pre-adolescents with positive or negative paternal relationships using the repertory network technique

This study examined how pre-adolescents from single-parent families who experience either positive or negative relationships with their fathers construct their intra-family relationships, using the Repertory Network Technique. The aim of the study is to reveal how the positive or negative paternal relationships of pre-adolescents raised in single-parent families influence family dynamics and, specifically, how children perceive and make meaning of these relationships through their mental constructs. The research group consisted of 65 students attending three middle schools in the Payas district of Hatay province during the 2025–2026 academic year, all of whom had divorced parents. The Personal Information Form, the Adolescent Post-Divorce Adjustment Scale, and the Leuven Perceived Parenthood Scale were administered to these students. Based on consistent scoring patterns, the five students with the highest scores on both scales were identified as the "positive paternal relationship" group, while the five students with the lowest scores were identified as the "negative paternal relationship" group. Among those who completed the scales, 37 were female and 28 were male, with a mean age of 14.3; among the 10 participants who completed the Repertory Network Technique interviews, 6 were female and 4 were male, with a mean age of 13.8. This study was conducted using a qualitative case-analysis approach and was structured as a descriptive multiple-case study. Consistent with the nature of case studies, the aim was not to achieve statistical generalization but to develop theoretical explanations through an in-depth examination of a limited number of cases. Therefore, the research carries an idiographic character that prioritizes internal validity over external generalizability; although the findings cannot be generalized to a wider population, the study aims to contribute to relevant theory through analytical generalization. In the study, each participant's cognitive representations of intra-family relationships were elicited through Repertory Network interviews, and the data were comprehensively analyzed by identifying personal constructs, comparing elements, and positioning these constructs within the self-identity grid. The findings show that the vast majority of pre-adolescents who perceive their relationship with their father negatively represent their reciprocal interactions with their father, the pre- and post-divorce periods, and the interparental relationship through predominantly negative personal constructs such as distance, conflict, neglect, and distrust. In their self-identity grids, elements related to divorce and the father were positioned close to one another, whereas the elements "the best father I know" and "the ideal father–child relationship" were located at a considerable distance. In contrast, pre-adolescents who perceive their relationship with their father positively constructed the reciprocal paternal relationship, the interparental relationship, and the post-divorce period using more positive constructs such as acceptance, interest, support, and cooperation. In their self-identity grids, the elements "the father's relationship with you," "your relationship with your father," "the best father I know," and "the ideal father–child relationship" were clustered closely together. Principal component analysis and Euclidean distance coefficients further revealed that, in the positive relationship group, the father figure was structurally more integrated into representations of the self and ideal relationships, whereas in the negative relationship group, paternal and divorce-related representations were organized along an axis of cognitive dissociation and relational fragility. Keywords: Pre-adolescence; Single-parent families; Repertory Network Technique; Construction of intra-family relationships; Personal Construct Theory.