The bipolarity of adolescents' feelings toward their parents with various illnesses and disabilities

The study examined feelings toward parents among Israeli Jewish adolescents with disabled parents (research group, n = 182) and non-disabled parents (control group, n = 285). It also studied the relationship between the types of parental disability (chronic heart disease, multiple sclerosis, and blindness) and the adolescents' feelings toward their parents. Bipolarity, i.e., coexistence of positive and negative feelings toward parents, was found among all participants. Nevertheless, the intensity of these feelings and a predominance of the positive feelings over the negative were higher in the research group than in the control group. The type of parental disability was significantly correlated with intensity of adolescents' feeling toward their parents. The moderator effect of adolescents' anxiety on the intensity and balance of positive and negative feelings toward parents was found in both the research and. control groups. The results of this study underline the importance of examining critical dimensions of family life in cases where the parents have a disability or chronic illness.