Editor Nancy Chase defines parentified children as parents to their parents—those are the children who are compelled to fulfill the role of parent at the expense of their own developmentally appropriate needs and pursuits. With uncanny sensibilities, these children are attuned to their parents′ moods, wishes, vulnerabilities, and nuances. This volume is a comprehensive study of parentification in the family, covering both theoretical as well as clinical topics. Contributors have written chapters that are grouped into two sections: theory and research, and clinical and broader contextual perspectives. Part One of this book covers research related to parentification and gender, work addiction, families with a disabled or chronically ill child, and assessment for clinical or research practices. The chapters having a stronger clinical or contextual emphasis address varied interventions and theoretical orientations and posit parentification in cultural and ethnic contexts. Students, academics, and professionals in areas of family studies, social work, child abuse, developmental psychology, school psychology, and family therapy will find Burdened Children an excellent resource on this phenomenon.

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