Parenting and Child Correlates of Maternal Burnout.

Abstract

Parental burnout, or feelings of exhaustion, overwhelm, ineffectiveness, and emotional distancing within the role of a parent, is a common condition among many parents who face high demands of parenting with few resources and support. The current study examined if parental burnout was associated with child development outcomes, and if these associations were mediated by parenting practices. 405 mothers from the United States of America with a child between the ages of 6 and 12 years participated in an online survey consisting of measures of parental burnout, positive and negative parenting practices, and socioemotional and behavioral assessments of their child. Results indicated that greater parental burnout was significantly associated with less positive and more negative parenting practices, and lower levels of children's social, emotional, and behavioral competency. Moreover, positive parenting practices partially mediated the association between burnout and child's social competence, autonomy, emotion regulation, closeness, and prosocial behaviors. Negative parenting practices partially mediated the association between burnout and child's autonomy, compliance, negativity, emotion regulation, conflict, closeness, and externalizing. Although the results are cross-sectional, they may indicate possible deleterious effects parental burnout can have on children. Practitioners, clinicians, and policymakers should use this information to better support parents and families.