Treating Parental Burnout: Impact and Particularities of a Mindfulness- and Compassion-Based Approach.

Mindfulness- and self-compassion-based programs have been shown to reduce parental stress, and levels of mindfulness and self-compassion have been shown to be negatively related to parental burnout (PB) factors. Based on these results, the present study aimed to test the efficacy of an 8-week mindfulness and compassion-based group approach (MCA) (n = 29) compared with the existing Parenting in Balance Program (PBP) (n = 25). Parents were blindly enrolled in one of the two conditions. Parental burnout, parental neglect and violence, irritability, parental balance between stress-enhancing and stress-alleviating factors, hair cortisol, and mindful parenting and self-compassion were measured before, after, and three months after the end of the program. All the measured outcomes positively changed over time in both conditions, except for irritability. Large effect sizes were found for parental burnout, parental neglect and violence, and mindful parenting and self-compassion. However, contrary to our hypothesis, the decrease in parental burnout in the MCA was not significantly related to an increase in mindful parenting nor self-compassion. Furthermore, certain participants from the MCA group reported higher levels of parental burnout after the intervention. The absence of specific effects between MCA and PBP programs suggests the presence of common effectiveness factors. Therefore, future studies need to analyze specific variables that may explain differential effects of programs on parental burnout levels.

Three reasons why parental burnout is more prevalent in individualistic countries: a mediation study in 36 countries.

PURPOSE: The prevalence of parental burnout, a condition that has severe consequences for both parents and children, varies dramatically across countries and is highest in Western countries characterized by high individualism. METHOD: In this study, we examined the mediators of the relationship between individualism measured at the country level and parental burnout measured at the individual level in 36 countries (16,059 parents). RESULTS: The results revealed three mediating mechanisms, that is, self-discrepancies between socially prescribed and actual parental selves, high agency and self-directed socialization goals, and low parental task sharing, by which individualism leads to an increased risk of burnout among parents. CONCLUSION: The results confirm that the three mediators under consideration are all involved, and that mediation was higher for self-discrepancies between socially prescribed and actual parental selves, then parental task sharing, and lastly self-directed socialization goals. The results provide some important indications of how to prevent parental burnout at the societal level in Western countries.

Callous-Unemotional Traits and Co-occurring Anxiety in Preschool and School-age Children: Investigation of Associations with Family's Socioeconomic Status and Home Chaos.

While contemporary literature has traditionally viewed youth with Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits as a homogeneous group, there is a growing interest in delineating two variants of CU traits based on high or low levels of anxiety. Extensive attention has been brought in the CU traits literature to the study of relational factors such as maltreatment and parenting practices. However, very few studies have looked at other environmental contexts in which the children within these two variants evolve, such as home chaos or socioeconomic status (SES). In a community sample of children aged 4 to 9, divided into a preschool sample (N = 107; Mage = 4.95, SD = 0.62) and a school-age sample (N = 153; Mage = 7.49, SD = 1.11), the current study investigated whether anxiety moderates the associations of CU traits with SES and home chaos. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that CU traits were positively associated with home chaos, regardless of anxiety levels. CU traits were negatively associated with SES, but this effect emerged only at high levels of anxiety. Notably, these findings were observed solely in the school-age subsample. Implications for understanding the two variants of CU traits (i.e., primary and secondary) and hypotheses regarding their developmental trajectories are discussed.

Optimizing the Assessment of Parental Burnout: A Multi-informant and Multimethod Approach to Determine Cutoffs for the Parental Burnout Inventory and the Parental Burnout Assessment.

Parental burnout (PB) is a chronic stress-related condition resulting from long-lasting exposure to overwhelming parenting stress. Previous studies showing the seriousness of this condition stressed the urgent need to provide researchers and practitioners with effective assessment tools. Validated PB measures are the Parental Burnout Inventory (PBI) and the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA). The good psychometric properties of these instruments have been replicated across different samples and countries, but thresholds for identifying impairing PB levels (i.e., cutoff scores) have not yet been established. The present study aims to fill this gap by adopting a multi-informant and multimethod approach to a sample of 192 burned-out and control parents. PBI and PBA cutoffs were derived from the combination of several PB indicators, based on a preregistered analysis strategy. Results identified a score of 74.6 (95% confidence interval (CI) = [69.48-79.68]) for the PBI and 86.3 (95% CI = [79.49-93.03]) for the PBA as indicators of the most severe PB levels.

[Diagnosing, managing and preventing parental burnout]. / Diagnostiquer, prendre en charge et prévenir le burn- out parental.

Parental burnout has recently been identified as one of the priorities in the field of psychological sciences. The seriousness of its consequences on parents and children has revealed the urgent need to develop valid and effective diagnostic, management and prevention tools. An overview of existing tools in the literature, with particular attention to the role that frontline professionals can play, is essential.

Parental Burnout Around the Globe: a 42-Country Study.

High levels of stress in the parenting domain can lead to parental burnout, a condition that has severe consequences for both parents and children. It is not yet clear, however, whether parental burnout varies by culture, and if so, why it might do so. In this study, we examined the prevalence of parental burnout in 42 countries (17,409 parents; 71% mothers; Mage = 39.20) and showed that the prevalence of parental burnout varies dramatically across countries. Analyses of cultural values revealed that individualistic cultures, in particular, displayed a noticeably higher prevalence and mean level of parental burnout. Indeed, individualism plays a larger role in parental burnout than either economic inequalities across countries, or any other individual and family characteristic examined so far, including the number and age of children and the number of hours spent with them. These results suggest that cultural values in Western countries may put parents under heightened levels of stress. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-020-00028-4.

Hair cortisol concentration as a biomarker of parental burnout.

Parental Burnout (PB) is a chronic stress-related disorder experienced in the parental role. Recent studies have shown that PB is a serious condition with severe consequences for parents (e.g., suicidal ideations) and children (e.g., parental neglect and violence). However, PB's biological correlates have not yet been examined. Numerous studies suggest that hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is a valid biomarker of a variety of chronic stress conditions. HCC has been shown to be related to job burnout, but no studies have looked at the association between HCC and parental burnout. Given that the two forms of burnout are only weakly related, it is important to fill this gap. In this study, we compared HCC of parents suffering from PB (N = 119) to that of control parents (N = 59). We also examined the correlation between PB scores and HCC levels, controlling for job burnout symptoms. The results showed that HCC was 213 % higher in parents suffering from PB (mean level: 99.90 pg/mg) compared to controls (mean level: 46.83 pg/mg). Moreover, HCC was significantly related to PB (r = 0.27). These findings suggested that HCC can be considered as a biomarker of PB (though with caution, as 36.1 % of the parents in PB had HCC values equal to or below the mean of the control parents) and reinforce the view that HCC is a biomarker of chronic stress conditions. The HCC levels observed in parents suffering from PB point to the importance of this condition as well as its potential harmful consequences for their health.

A Step Forward in the Conceptualization and Measurement of Parental Burnout: The Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA).

So far, the conceptualization and measurement of parental burnout have been deduced from those of job burnout. As a result, it is unclear whether current measures of parental burnout constitute the best representation of the parental burnout construct/syndrome: the possibility cannot be excluded that some dimensions ought to be added, which would change the structure and definition of parental burnout. In this study, the conceptualization and measurement of parental burnout were approached using an inductive method, in which the parental burnout phenomenon was (re)constructed based solely on the testimonies of burned-out parents. Items extracted from their testimonies were presented to a sample of French-speaking and English-speaking parents (N = 901) and submitted to factor analyses. An identifiable parental burnout syndrome including four dimensions was found (exhaustion in one's parental role, contrast with previous parental self, feelings of being fed up with one's parental role and emotional distancing from one's children). The resulting instrument, the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA) presents good validity. Factorial invariance across gender and languages was also found. Finally, the results of this study replicate previous findings that psychological traits of the parents, parenting factors, and family functioning account for more variance in parental burnout than sociodemographic factors.

Consequences of parental burnout: Its specific effect on child neglect and violence.

Parental burnout is a specific syndrome resulting from enduring exposure to chronic parenting stress. It encompasses three dimensions: an overwhelming exhaustion related to one's parental role, an emotional distancing from one's children and a sense of ineffectiveness in one's parental role. This study aims to facilitate further identification of the consequences of parental burnout for the parents themselves, their spouses and their child(ren). In a sample of 1551 parents, we examined the relationship between parental burnout and seven possible consequences: escapism and suicidal thoughts, addictions, sleep disorders, marital conflicts, a partner estrangement mindset, and neglect and violence towards one's child(ren). We examined (1) to what extent parental and job burnout related to each of these possible consequences and (2) whether parental burnout is specifically related to neglectful and violent behaviour towards one's child(ren). The results suggest that parental burnout has a statistically similar effect to job burnout on addictions and sleep problems, a stronger effect on couples' conflicts and partner estrangement mindset and a specific effect on child-related outcomes (neglect and violence) and escape and suicidal ideation. These results emphasize the importance of accurately diagnosing this syndrome.

An integrated approach to child psychotherapy with co-parental support: a longitudinal outcome study.

Studies about the effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy interventions with children and adolescents suggest potential adverse effects of this treatment when not supported by a parallel work with parents: it seems that it could damage family functioning and affect family balances. This research aims to assess psychopathological outcomes after two years of psychodynamic psychotherapy by comparing two groups (G) of children and adolescents, related to a Childhood Adolescence Family Service: G1 - individual therapy for child/adolescent only; G2 - therapy for child/adolescent and a separate session of co-parenting support. 21 families with children aged between 6 and 17 years completed the entire treatment. The research protocol involves: Lausanne Trilogue Play, Children Behavior Check List and Family Empowerment Scale. Results show a positive effect of the treatment on the child/adolescent psychopathological profile with a significant improvement concerning the reduction of both internalizing and externalizing problems. Results show the effectiveness of the integrated intervention in the improvement of parents' abilities to validate the children emotional state. Our results suggesting that parenting support increase parental sensitivity, helping the parents to become more able to recognize the children's emotional state and to validate it.

Triadic interactions in families with preterm children: a comparative study with children born at term.

The relationship between parents and infants born preterm is multifaceted and could present some relational patterns which are believed to predict psychological risk more than others. For example, insensitive parenting behavior has been shown to place very preterm children at greater risk of emotional and behavioral dysregulation. The main objective of this study was to compare the quality of family interactions in a sample of families with preterm children with one of the families with at-term children, exploring possible differences and similarities. The second aim of this research was to consider the associations among family interactions and parental empowerment, the child's temperament, parenting stress, and perceived social support. The sample consisted of 52 children and their families: 25 families, one with two preterm brothers with preterm children (mean 22.3 months, SD 12.17), and 26 families with children born at term (mean 22.2 months, SD 14.97). The Lausanne Trilogue Play procedure was administered to the two groups to assess the quality of their family interactions. The preterm group was also administered the Questionari Italiani del Temperamento, the Family Empowerment Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Parenting Stress Index - Short Form. Differences in the quality of family interactions emerged between the preterm and at-term groups. The preterm group showed significantly lower quality of family interactions than the at-term group. The parenting stress of both parents related to their parental empowerment, and maternal stress was also related to the partner's parental empowerment. Social support had a positive influence on parenting stress, with maternal stress also related to perceived social support from the partner, which underscores the protective role of the father on the dyad.