health psychology report • volume 8(2),  original article background Parentification is defined as a pattern of family interactions in which a child or an adolescent provides excessive care to the parents instead of receiving it from them. The phenomenon is linked to family difficulties, personality disorders or abuse of psychoactive substances, yet in some circumstances, it may be a factor contributing to an increase in mental resilience and one's independence. participants and procedureThe aim of the study was to prepare a parentification questionnaire for adolescents, adapted to Polish cultural conditions. The study involved 641 teenagers. resultsOn the basis of confirmatory factor analysis, two versions of the tool were created: for adolescents without siblings (4 basic subscales) and for adolescents with siblings (4 basic and 2 additional subscales). conclusionsThe questionnaire draws attention to the multidimensional character of the phenomenon of parentification, focusing on the type of roles and tasks performed by a teenager (i.e. emotional and instrumental parentification), the level of a sense of injustice and satisfaction with the role played in the family system. Additionally, the test allows us to focus on the recipient of the care provided by the child (parents or siblings) while maintaining a structure that allows for conducting research with both only children and persons with siblings and facilitates comparison between them.

ABSTRACT

Parentification occurs when children provide caregiving for family members that typically exceeds their capacity and developmental stage. Parentification roles and responsibilities are often linked with deleterious outcomes, including robbing children of age-appropriate opportunities, activities, and support. However, in some circumstances, such as caring for a sibling vs. caring for a parent, parentification may engender feelings of self-efficacy, competence, and other positive outcomes. The primary objective of the current study was to explore the possible benefits of parentification. Using an understudied, international population, the current study tested the benefits of parentification in the context of the sibling relationship. Two research questions guided the study: to what extent are perceived benefits of parentification positively associated with self-esteem among a sample of Polish late adolescents? And to what extent does the quality of the sibling relationship mediate the association between perceived benefits of parentification and self-esteem? Results from the current sample showed the quality of sibling relationships partially mediated the relation between parentification and self-esteem. The findings underline the importance of assessing the quality of sibling relationships when an individual or family presenting for clinical services related to past and current family discord and dysfunction. Future research might consider other factors in the sibling relationship, such as personality, that could relate to positive outcomes from parentification.

ABTRACT (Int Marit Health 2013; 64, 4: 221-225)

Workaholism is related to experiencing high negative emotions, the inability to control them, and poor psychological well-being. One of the possible countermeasures against the risk of workaholism can be purpose in life. According to Frankl and Yalom, the feeling that life has a meaning or purpose prevents an individual from experiencing meaninglessness. Purpose in life is considered to be closely associated with mood and well-being and has been proven to act as a countermeasure against depression. participants and procedureThe goal of our study was to analyze the relation between workaholism, perception of purpose in life, and social support among women. Two hundred and sixty female professionals took part in the study. They occupied either specialist or managerial positions in their companies, which implies being highly committed to professional roles. Two sociodemographic variables were included in the analysis as significant moderators of the relation studied, namely family status: whether or not women had children, and marital status. We used the following analytical methods: Robinson's Work Addiction Risk Test (WART, adapted from English by K. Wojdylo), the Purpose-in-Life Test developed by Crumbaugh and Maholick, and Schwarzer's and Schulz's Berlin Social Support Scales. resultsStatistical analysis allowed us to test a model, which proved the existence of a significant relation between "social support" and "purpose in life" variables. The results also indicate a dependency between "purpose in life" and "workaholism" -higher scores in "purpose in life" correspond to lower results in "workaholism". Additionally, "purpose in life" can be considered a partial mediator between "social support" and "workaholism". conclusionsThe direct results prove that social programs aimed at reducing the risk of workaholism by strengthening social support networks can be both effective, e.g. for mothers who work professionally, and ineffective, e.g. for women who do not have children.key words social support; women; workaholism; purpose in life; compulsion to work

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The aim of the presented study was to verify the relationship between the level of work engagement and organizational commitment and work satisfaction experienced by employees, taking into account intermediary variables—i.e. the climate at the organization and the phenomenon of silence in the organization. The survey involved a total of 131 employees of the National Revenue Administration, including 35 males and 96 females. Five methods were used to verify the questions and research hypotheses: Allen and Meyer’s Organizational Commitment Scale, the AVEM questionnaire, Paluchowski’s Organizational Climate Questionnaire, the four forms of the Organizational Silence Scale, and the Job Descriptive Index (JDI). The results of the research show that there is a significant relationship between work engagement and organizational commitment and work satisfaction.

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