Parentification in families with alcohol-related problems

Researches have become increasingly interested in parentification, described as the process of role reversal whereby a child is obliged to act as parent to his parents or siblings while neglecting his/her own needs. The amount of reporting is still insufficient, hence the need for further research and reflection on the issue as emphasised in the literature. The article discusses current knowledge on the nature of parentification and theoretical considerations, including the mechanisms leading to its occurrence. In particular, we concentrated on describing the specifics of parentification in alcohol families. As studies indicate, parental alcohol dependency is connected to the reversal of roles and disturbance of family hierarchy. We have presented the current state of research on parentification of children of parents with mental disorders caused by alcohol use and on the significance of parentification on the functioning of alcoholics' children currently and in adult life. The paper also contains reflections on practical implications and directions for further research. (C) 2016 Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.