Trying to comfort the parent: a qualitative study of children dealing with parental depression

In this article, we look at children's experiences of parentification in families in which one of the parents is hospitalized for depression. Children (7-14 years old) and their parents were invited for a family interview. Using thematic analysis, we constructed a general framework of 14 children's experiences, guided by the explorative research question: How do children experience parental depression and how do they experience their own caregiving in the family? The thematic analysis revealed eight themes. One of these themes (trying to comfort the parent) was selected for a microanalysis in one family interview. Our study illustrates the process of overt negotiating of caretaking between parent and child with an underlying moral dilemma and related emotions. The dynamic of children hiding their worry can be seen as an answer to the parent's expressed wish to not burden her children. These dynamics are situated in ongoing debates in family therapy literature, and some suggestions for therapeutic practice are formulated.