Parenting the parents: A phenomenological study of parentified adolescents in Pakistan

Abstract

The current study aimed to explore the experience, expression and manifestation of parentification among adolescents experiencing parental discord in Pakistan. Interpretative phenomenological analysis design (IPA) was used for the study, and purposive sampling strategy was employed. The sample included eight boys and girls of class 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th of government secondary and higher secondary schools of Lahore, Pakistan, and they were selected by non-probability purposive sampling. The mean age of the participants was 16.37 and SD was 1.11. In depth, interviews were conducted with each participant. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed, and IPA analysis was used for data analysis and interpretation. Three group experiential themes were identified: functional maturation, emotional ramifications and stifling self. The responses revealed that parentified adolescents were assumed accountable for a wide range of responsibilities, including financial contribution, managing household, maintaining familial relationships as well as bringing up younger siblings. This study will help understand the indigenous experience of parentification of Pakistani adolescents, and it will facilitate further elaboration of understanding the nature of the common practice of parentification, as well as its impact upon the adolescents.