Family Unpredictability, Parental Alcoholism, and the Development of Parentification

The current study sought to examine whether parental alcoholism and family unpredictability contribute to the development of parentification, when children take on parental roles within the family. Participants (N = 123) from 10 outpatient clinics completed surveys that included the Retrospective Family Unpredictability Scale (Ross, 1999), the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (Jones, 1982) and the Parentification Questionnaire (Sessions & Jurkovic, 1986). Two hierarchical regression analyses confirmed that family unpredictability and parental alcoholism each made independent contributions to childhood parentification. We discuss clinical implications and suggestions for future research.