{"title":"Understanding the link between parentification and desire to have children: moderating role of perceived fairness.","authors":"Izabela Huczewska, Klaudia Kruk, Monika Mynarska","doi":"10.1080/02646838.2025.2480388","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims/background: </strong>Childhood experiences of assuming adult-like roles and responsibilities (parentification) can substantially affect a person's functioning at different stages of adult development. This study explores how childhood parentification and its perceived fairness are related to young adults' childbearing motivations (positive and negative) and desire to become a parent. We examine the role of instrumental as well as emotional parentification.</p><p><strong>Design/methods: </strong>The Childbearing Questionnaire-Short-Form and the Filial Responsibility Scale-Adult were administered to 491 Polish childless men and women (18-35 years old). Moderated mediation models were applied.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found that those who reported higher levels of parentification in childhood also exhibited a stronger desire to have a first child. The analysis of moderated mediation models demonstrated that both forms of parentification indirectly increased the desire to have a child through higher positive childbearing motivation. However, these effects were weaker (or nonsignificant) for those who felt their childhood roles were unfair.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our findings support and advance existing theoretical models of parentification and childbearing decisions by highlighting the important role of the perceived fairness of parentification in the choice to become a parent.</p>","PeriodicalId":47721,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2025.2480388","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Aims/background: Childhood experiences of assuming adult-like roles and responsibilities (parentification) can substantially affect a person's functioning at different stages of adult development. This study explores how childhood parentification and its perceived fairness are related to young adults' childbearing motivations (positive and negative) and desire to become a parent. We examine the role of instrumental as well as emotional parentification.
Design/methods: The Childbearing Questionnaire-Short-Form and the Filial Responsibility Scale-Adult were administered to 491 Polish childless men and women (18-35 years old). Moderated mediation models were applied.
Results: We found that those who reported higher levels of parentification in childhood also exhibited a stronger desire to have a first child. The analysis of moderated mediation models demonstrated that both forms of parentification indirectly increased the desire to have a child through higher positive childbearing motivation. However, these effects were weaker (or nonsignificant) for those who felt their childhood roles were unfair.
Conclusion: Our findings support and advance existing theoretical models of parentification and childbearing decisions by highlighting the important role of the perceived fairness of parentification in the choice to become a parent.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology reports and reviews outstanding research on psychological, behavioural, medical and social aspects of human reproduction, pregnancy and infancy. Medical topics focus on obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and psychiatry. The growing work in relevant aspects of medical communication and medical sociology are also covered. Relevant psychological work includes developmental psychology, clinical psychology, social psychology, behavioural medicine, psychology of women and health psychology. Research into psychological aspects of midwifery, health visiting and nursing is central to the interests of the Journal. The Journal is of special value to those concerned with interdisciplinary issues. As a result, the Journal is of particular interest to those concerned with fundamental processes in behaviour and to issues of health promotion and service organization.