2015 Volume 29 Issue 1 Pages 1-18
Findings regarding parent-child role reversal are based on studies (such as case studies) that tend to include subjective interpretations. The purpose of the current study was to examine the demonstrability of accumulated findings regarding that role reversal. This study considered four components of role reversal: (1) over-expectation of parents for their child, (2) distorted amae [acceptance of inappropriate behavior or an indulgent request] by parents, (3) parents not providing support to their child, and (4) the child providing emotional support to his or her parents. This study focused on the effect that role reversal has on pseudo-maturity. Pseudo-maturity is when a person tries to act more mature than he or she actually is. Someone who is pseudomature tends to emotionally depend on others and have difficulty forming close, healthy interpersonal relationships. In this study, over-adaptation, emotional dependence, intimacy avoidance, and the lack of trust were considered to be indices of pseudo-maturity. Responses from 642 university students served as data. The Parent-Child Relationship Role Reversal Inventory (P-CRRRI) was devised to measure varied aspects of role reversal. Multiple regression analysis, cluster analysis, and ANOVA were used to examine the relationship between role reversal and pseudo-maturity. Multiple regression analysis indicated that role reversal was related to over-adaptation, intimacy avoidance, and the lack of trust. ANOVA indicated that children who reversed roles with their parents tended to avoid intimacy and have less trust in others than children who did not reverse roles. That said, the desire for emotional dependence was not affected by role reversal. On the whole, children tended to be more pseudo-mature (except in terms of emotional dependency) as a result of role reversal. In addition, pseudo-maturity was caused by three components of role reversal: over-expectation of parents for their child, parents not providing support to their child, and the child providing emotional support to his or her.
