Influences of Childhood Parentification and Sibling Disability on Selection of Disability-Specific Helping Profession with Children

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

Parentification is the experience of high levels of caregiving during childhood and is associated with both negative and positive outcomes (Nuttall & Valentino, 2017). One such positive outcome for individuals who’ve experienced parentification is the selection of a helping profession, defined as a profession in which one primarily focuses on helping others (Nikčević et al., 2007; Taylor & Shivers, 2011). Parentification can be broken down into two dimensions: instrumental parentification and emotional parentification (Jurkovic, 1997; Byng-Hall, 2008). Furthermore, both high and low levels of instrumental parentification are theorized to be associated with adverse outcomes whereas moderate levels of instrumental parentification are considered normative (Jurkovic, 1997). Therefore, prior research examines instrumental parentification as a curvilinear, rather than linear, association (Nuttall et al., 2019). Yet, the associations between these two types of parentification and the selection of a helping profession have not been examined. Parentification is common among typically developing siblings of individuals with disabilities (Nuttall et al, 2018). Prior research demonstrates that individuals with a sibling with a disability are more likely to pursue a helping profession (Marks et al., 2005) and past studies lack clarity on the types of helping professions that are selected. Therefore, we examined the associations between instrumental (curvilinear) and emotional parentification on emerging adults’ selection of a helping profession specific to disabilities (e.g., a career working with youth with disabilities), and how sibling disability status moderated this association. The present study included 1,626 undergraduate students enrolled in education and human development courses at 11 institutions. The majority of participants were female (72.9%; n = 1185), their ages ranged from 17 to 48 (M = 20.68; SD = 3.37) and 200 (12.3%) had a sibling with a disability. Data were collected using online surveys. Our model consisted of instrumental parentification, the quadratic instrumental parentification term, emotional parentification, sibling disability status, interactions between types of parentification, between the types of parentification and sibling disability status, and two, three way interaction predicting emerging adults’ intent to pursue a career working with youth with disabilities (see Table 1). Our results revealed that, at high levels of emotional parentification, individuals with a sibling with a disability were more likely to pursue a career working with youth with disabilities than individuals without a sibling with a disability, b = 0.32, s.e. = 0.12, p < 0.01 (see Figure 1). Emotional parentification is associated with higher levels of social competence, which is associated with better college adjustment (Champion et al., 2009; Yang & Brown, 2015). Therefore, these individuals may experience favorable college outcomes and this, coupled with experience interacting with individuals with disabilities, may position these individuals to be very successful in a career working with youth with disabilities. Overall, our findings suggest that the type of parentification experienced and presence of a sibling with a disability are important contexts impacting emerging adults’ decision to pursue a career working with youth with disabilities.

Authors

• Jenna Hyatt Beffel, Michigan State University
  Presenting Author

• Amy K. Nuttall, Michigan State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Claire D Vallotton, Michigan State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Carla A. Peterson, Iowa State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kalli B. Decker, Montana State University
  Non-Presenting Author