When Mom has a Mental Illness: Role Reversal and Psychosocial Adjustment Among Emerging Adults

Objective Guided by a life course perspective, the present study examined whether aspects of the emerging adult‐mother relationship, specifically affection, felt obligation, role reversal, and reciprocity, mediated the association between having a mother with mental illness and poorer psychological adjustment. Method Emerging adults with mothers with mental illness ( n = 52) and emerging adults without mothers with mental illness ( n = 64) were recruited from institutes of higher education and responded to an online self‐report questionnaire. Most participants (81%) were female. Results Results from multiple mediation analyses indicated a history of parent‐child role reversal mediated the association between having a mother with mental illness and emerging adults’ psychological symptoms. None of the assessed aspects of the emerging adult‐mother relationship mediated the association between maternal mental illness and emerging adults’ psychological well‐being, but having divorced parents and being older was associated with lower levels of psychological well‐being. Conclusions Findings indicate role reversal contributes to emerging adults’ psychological symptoms. Assessment of a history of role reversal may be relevant to clinical practice with emerging adults, particularly those with mothers with mental illness. Life course perspectives can inform future studies of emerging adults with mothers with mental illness.