Why Some Kids Do Well in Bad Situations: Relation of Parental Alcohol Misuse and Parentification to Children's Self-Concept

Abstract

Between 1991 and 1994 a sample of high- and low-functioning 10–18- year-old children of alcohol misusing and nonalcohol misusing parents were assessed on degree of problematic parental role functioning (parentification) and global self-concept. The high functioning children had been chosen by their teachers to receive training as peer counselors, whereas the low functioning children were in either psychiatric facilities or the custody of family and children services. The parentification scores of the latter significantly exceeded those of the former. Children of alcoholic parents also scored higher on the parentification measure than did those with nonalcoholic parents. Within the high functioning group hierarchical regression analysis revealed that while parental alcohol misuse status accounted for a small but significant amount of the variance in self-concept, the effect of this variable was substantially reduced after entering level of parentification into the equation. By contrast, within the low functioning group parental alcohol misuse status was not significantly related to self-concept whereas level of parentification was. The results are discussed within a family systems framework.