A Qualitative Study on Life Experiences of Adolescent Children without Disabilities Growing up with Parents with Mobility Disabilities in South Korea

Background and Purpose: Children growing up with parents with mobility disabilities can have their quality of life affected, particularly if their parents experience socioeconomic disparities due to their disabilities. During adolescence, in addition to the developmental challenges they face, they may experience ambivalent feelings about assisting their parents with disabilities. Owing to traditional cultural norms in South Korea that emphasize filial responsibility, adolescent children may feel a heightened sense of burden. However, social support services for this population is lacking. This qualitative study explored the life experiences of adolescent children without disabilities whose parents have mobility disabilities.

Methods: Using purposive sampling technique, 11 adolescents without disabilities, aged between 13 and 18, and living with at least one parent with mobility disabilities were recruited. Two-hour in-depth individual interviews were conducted twice with each participant in 2025. Five girls and six boys aged 15 years on average participated. Four had a mother with a disability, four had a father with a disability, and three had both parents with disabilities. The disabilities were physical disabilities (n = 9) and cerebral palsy (n = 2), and their onset occurred either prior to the child’s birth (n = 7) or after the child’s birth (n = 4). Interviews focused on their life experiences while growing up with parents with disabilities. Thematic analysis was conducted.

Findings: Thematic analysis yielded four overarching themes. Participants reported experiencing courtesy stigma in peer and neighborhood settings toward their parents with disabilities. Although they understood that their parents’ disabilities were not worthy of shame, they struggled to reconcile this awareness with pervasive ableist expressions and mockery of people with disabilities in peer culture, which caused confusion in accepting their parents’ disabilities. They also reported missed opportunities for social participation due to the need to consider the potential inconvenience their parents might face. Furthermore, participants expressed feeling pressured to contribute to the household when they grow up due to their parents’ financial instability. Despite these challenges, they also shared positive aspects of their experiences, including pride due to viewing their commitment as a natural filial duty rather than a burden, appreciation for their parents’ caregiving, and a strong emotional bond with their parents as a source of motivation.

Conclusion and Implications: The findings confirm that these adolescent children of parents with disabilities were affected by their parents’ disability as well as broader social contexts related to disability. Furthermore, the study highlights the potential for promoting growth and emotional well-being and establishing social support systems among these children. Social work professionals should implement targeted interventions that address the psychosocial needs of adolescent children of parents with disabilities using a whole-family approach. Researchers should explore the mechanisms underlying positive and negative outcomes of these children without disabilities.