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Cited by 94Attachment and Relationship DynamicsFamily Dynamics and RelationshipsChild Abuse and Trauma

“I was more her Mom than she was mine“: Role Reversal in a Community Sample

Open access
Mayseless, Ofra, Bartholomew, Kim, Henderson, Antonia, Trinke, Shanna·2004·Family Relations
DOI 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2004.00011.x
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Abstract

Family processes associated with childhood role reversal and related adult outcomes were examined in a community sample (128 adults) using a semistructured interview exploring family, friend, and romantic relationships. Women showed stronger role reversal than men, and role reversal was stronger with mothers than with fathers. Role reversal of women with mothers was associated with parental divorce, neglect, and rejection. Only parental divorce was consistently associated with men's role reversal. Role reversal was not associated with current symptoms for either men or women, nor with attachment orientations for women. Three patterns with distinct family dynamics and outcomes—guardians/protectors, pleasers/compliants, and spousified—emerged from qualitative analyses of 16 women who experienced high levels of childhood role reversal.

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  • To manage their experiences, parentified children developed numerous coping strategies, many of which were suboptimal by conventional standards but adaptive for their situation.

    “To manage their experiences, parentified children developed numerous coping strategies, many of which were suboptimal by conventional standards but adaptive for their situation [25,30,32,35,37].”

    From Parentification Vulnerability, Reactivity, Resilience, and Thriving: A Mixed Methods Systematic Literature Review (2023) · cites this paper as [25]

    In “Qualitative Analyses of Role Reversal in Women” (page unavailable), participants describe dealing with distress by keeping to themselves rather than seeking comfort from neglectful parents; the authors call this an expected response. The paper supports that situational response, but does not establish that parentified children developed numerous coping strategies or that many were suboptimal by conventional standards yet adaptive. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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  • The suboptimal physical health outcomes of parentification could be exacerbated by co-occurring risk factors that many parentified youth experience, including lack of access to affordable health care, healthy and stable housing, sufficient and quality water and food; harsh or abusive working conditions; domestic violence, and harsh parenting.

    “The suboptimal physical health outcomes of parentification could be exacerbated by co-occurring risk factors that many parentified youth experience. These co-occurring risk factors include a lack of access to affordable health care, healthy and stable housing, sufficient and quality water and food; harsh or abusive working conditions; domestic violence, and harsh parenting [25,27,35].”

    From Parentification Vulnerability, Reactivity, Resilience, and Thriving: A Mixed Methods Systematic Literature Review (2023) · cites this paper as [25]

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  • Mental and physical health concerns of parentified youth include depression, anxiety, worry, toxic stress and trauma, dementia, domestic violence, substance abuse, displacement (war, foster care, orphaned), poverty, and HIV.

    “Mental and physical health concerns include depression, anxiety, worry, toxic stress and trauma, dementia, domestic violence, substance abuse, displacement (war, foster care, orphaned), poverty, and HIV [25,31,34].”

    From Parentification Vulnerability, Reactivity, Resilience, and Thriving: A Mixed Methods Systematic Literature Review (2023) · cites this paper as [25]

    The Trauma Symptoms Checklist section measures anxiety, depression, and trauma-related symptoms, while the Patterns of role reversal section describes psychological symptoms and a family affected by alcoholism and physical abuse. The paper studies adults recalling childhood role reversal; these passages do not support the full list as health concerns of parentified youth, including dementia, HIV, poverty, displacement, and toxic stress. The supplied copy gives no page numbers for these sections. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Parentified youth are disadvantaged by a lack of emotional and instrumental support from parents who cannot meet their emotional and psychological needs.

    “Rather, parentified youth are disadvantaged by a lack of emotional and instrumental support from parents who cannot meet their emotional and psychological needs [25,31].”

    From Parentification Vulnerability, Reactivity, Resilience, and Thriving: A Mixed Methods Systematic Literature Review (2023) · cites this paper as [25]

    The Antecedents of Role Reversal section describes parents who are unable or unwilling to provide protection, support, and care, and the Qualitative Analyses section reports that participants’ childhood needs for comfort were unmet. The paper does not establish a general lack of instrumental support from parents among parentified youth; it describes variation in parental support. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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  • Participants described a "lost childhood" marked by insufficient time to engage in play and other activities with same-aged mates, and basic attachment-related needs for comfort were not met in childhood.

    “Participants described a “lost childhood” marked by insufficient time to engage in play and other activities with same-aged mates [32], and basic attachment-related needs for comfort were not met in childhood [25,31].”

    From Parentification Vulnerability, Reactivity, Resilience, and Thriving: A Mixed Methods Systematic Literature Review (2023) · cites this paper as [25]

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. In R. D. Kavanaugh, B. Zimmerberg, & S. Fein (Eds.), Emotion: Interdisci- plinary perspectives (pp. 139-170). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  2. Burt, A. (1992). Generational boundary distortion: Implications for object rela- tions development. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Georgia State Univer- sity, Atlanta, GA.
  3. Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  4. Jurkovic, G. J., Morrell, R., & Casey, S. (2001). Parentification in the lives of high-profile individuals and their families: A hidden source of strength and distress. In B. E. Robinson & N. D. Chase (Eds.), High-performing families: Causes, consequences, and clinical solutions (pp. 129-155). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
  5. Robinson, B. E., & Chase, N. D. (Eds.). (2001). High-performing families: Causes, consequences, and clinical solutions. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

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Authors
Mayseless, O., Bartholomew, K., Henderson, A., & Trinke, S.
Affiliations
University of Haifa (IL)
Corresponding author
Mayseless, Ofra
ORCID
Mayseless, Ofra
Venue
Family Relations
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2003-12-23
Volume
53
Issue
1
Pages
78-86
ISSN
  • 0197-6664 (ISSN-L)
  • 1741-3729
DOI
10.1111/j.1741-3729.2004.00011.x
OpenAlex
W2064315748
Cited by
93
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 5
FWCI
0.93
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
Family Relations (publishedVersion)
Funders
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Family Dynamics and Relationships
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
Keywords
family processes, parental divorce, parental neglect, parental rejection, gender differences, mother-child relationship, attachment orientation, family dynamics, adult outcomes, guardianship

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