Examining the relationship between parentification in childhood, psychological resilience, and the transformative power of pain in the context of positive psychology

The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between the experience of parentification in childhood, psychological resilience, and the transformative power of pain; to reveal the level of interaction among these three variables; to evaluate the predictive power of parentification and the transformative power of pain on psychological resilience; and to determine whether these variables differ significantly according to various demographic characteristics. The research was conducted using the correlational survey model, one of the quantitative research designs. The study group consisted of 369 university students (293 females and 76 males), aged between 18 and 30, who were enrolled at Bartın University during the 2024–2025 academic year. Data were collected through an online survey. The data collection tools included a Demographic Information Form, the Parentification Inventory, the Psychological Resilience Scale for Adults, and the Transformative Power of Pain Scale. The collected data were analyzed using correlation, regression, and parametric/non-parametric difference tests with SPSS 27. According to the correlation analysis, parentification particularly the perceived benefit dimension was positively and significantly associated with both psychological resilience and the transformative power of pain. In contrast, sibling-focused parentification was negatively associated with certain sub-dimensions of psychological resilience. The results of the regression analysis showed that perceived benefit and the transformative power of pain significantly predicted psychological resilience and together explained 34.2% of the variance in this variable. In analyses conducted by demographic variables, significant differences were found according to gender, family structure, parental marital status, education level, birth order, number of siblings, type of residence, and perceived economic status. Overall, the findings indicate that the perceived benefit of parentification is positively associated with both psychological resilience and the transformative power of pain.