Influence of Adolescence Parentification on Adulthood Depression in Children of Women with Breast Cancer

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#This study aimed to investigate the levels of adolescence parentification and identify its influence on adulthood depression in children of women with breast cancer. @*Methods@#This study used a cross-sectional online survey. Data were collected from an online community comprising Korean women with breast cancer and their families. A total of 217 adult children of women with breast cancer completed the online questionnaire. Measurements included the Korean version of the Filial Responsibility ScaleAdult (FRS-A), Korean version of Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Inventory, Korean version of the Resilience Scale (RS14), and the Korean version of Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale. @*Results@#The mean score for FRS-A was 2.27 out of 4 points. Adolescence parentification was significantly negatively correlated with adulthood self-esteem (r=-.74, p<.001) and resilience (r=-.72, p<.001), and significantly positively correlated with adulthood depression (r=.76, p<.001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that adolescence parentification was a significant factor associated with adulthood depression after adjusting for general characteristics, self-esteem, and resilience. @*Conclusion@#Our finding suggests that parentification can be stressful for adolescents living with a parent with cancer. Hence, a greater awareness regarding parentification is needed to prevent adolescents from developing depression in their adulthood.