Author:

Keywords:

parentification, experience, children, qualitative research

Abstract:

After a review of the literature on parentification, this systemic concept was conceptualized for the purpose of the present research project. The central points in this conceptualization are the child’s sensitivity and the active contribution of the child to the family, the bidirectional aspects of parentification as a family process and the premise that parentification occurs in all families, either in subtle ways, or strongly in the foreground. Reviewing the research literature, it becomes clear that parentification research overly focuses on outcomes in adult life, while research about experiential aspects of parentification is scarcely represented. In order to address this gap in the literature, a qualitative research project focusing on children’s experiences related to parentification, was set up. The following research question was formulated: “What is the experience of children in families where parentification as a family process is present?” The qualitative research project focused on children of parents with depression, as parentification had been previously described in this context. Using three different perspectives (the current perspective of the child in the family, the young adult looking back on his/her childhood and the adult reflecting on her childhood), the overall experiences of children who grew up in a family with a depressed parent, and more specifically of their experiences of parentification, have been explored.The first study resulted in a thematic analysis of children’s experiences of parental depression as well as a microanalysis of selected interactions in which the child tried to comfort the depressed parent. The second and third study report on a focus group study with young adults (18 to 29 years old) and on an interview study with adults (39 to 45 years old) who grew up in a family in which one of the parents suffered from depression before the participant turned 18. In these two studies, retrospective accounts of childhood experiences, as well as ongoing meaning making processes and the continuous re-positioning towards the family of origin, were addressed. These participants described how as a child they generally did not dwell on their own experiences. Rather, the emphasis was on 'action': running the family seemed to be a way of keeping afloat, both for themselves and for their family members. The final chapter aims at integrating the results of the three qualitative studies, including a methodological reflection on the use of different data collection and data analysis methods. Furthermore these integrated results are related to the initial conceptualization of parentification, resulting in some suggestions for family therapy practice.