Experiences and psychological well‐being of language brokers in Australia: A mixed methods approach

Child language brokering as a family care practice: Reframing the ‘parentified child’ debate

“…Views about the impact of child language brokering on the dynamics of family relationships demonstrate a mixed picture. Some studies suggest a stronger bond between parents and children (Chao, 2006; Orellana, 2009) especially when accompanied with a strong sense of family togetherness and community connection, alongside praise or appreciation for their activities (Cline et al, 2017; Tomasi & Narchal, 2020). Other scholars have documented associations with negative feelings such as stress, burden and depression, especially when associated with poor parenting relationships (Kim et al, 2017; Tomasi & Narchal, 2020; Wu & Kim, 2009).…”

“…Some studies suggest a stronger bond between parents and children (Chao, 2006; Orellana, 2009) especially when accompanied with a strong sense of family togetherness and community connection, alongside praise or appreciation for their activities (Cline et al, 2017; Tomasi & Narchal, 2020). Other scholars have documented associations with negative feelings such as stress, burden and depression, especially when associated with poor parenting relationships (Kim et al, 2017; Tomasi & Narchal, 2020; Wu & Kim, 2009). One framing of the family dynamic in the field, is that it destabilises the family system, creating a ‘role reversal’ in the hierarchical order of family life, where children take on roles and responsibilities that are perceived to be associated with adults (Kaur & Mills, 1993; Titzmann, 2012).…”

“…An important debate within the child language brokering literature focuses on the types of ‘adult‐like’ work that young people undertake, which can lead to concerns about the impact this has on the parent–child relationship and children's wellbeing (Kim et al, 2017; Tomasi & Narchal, 2020). The increased responsibility taken‐on by child language brokers has been likened to the concept of ‘parentification’, ‘adultification’ or ‘role reversal’, which suggests parents’ authority is suppressed within the family dynamics because child language brokers find themselves in situations where they are assigned roles usually reserved for parents (Titzmann, 2012; Weisskirch, 2007).…”

Communication in child language brokering

“…Research carried out so far has shed light on the pivotal role that child language brokers (CLBs) play in interlinguistic/cultural communication, including CLBs' contributions to their own family's acculturation process (Angelelli 2016;Chao 2006;Martinez 2006;Weisskirch and Alva 2002;Weisskirch 2013), the impact of their role on the relationships within the family (Cline et al 2017;Martinez et al 2009;Orellana et al 2003), and the socioemotional and cognitive development of the CLBs themselves (Ceccoli 2021;Dorner et al 2007;Kim et al 2018;Tomasi and Narchal 2020;Napier 2021). Little attention, however, has been given to CLBs' and adults' expectations regarding their respective roles within the interpreted communicative event, especially when the adults and children involved are not family members.…”