Exploring the roots of parental burnout from contemporary western parenting culture
(2023)
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- Abstract
- In recent years, many parents have been suffering in their parental role. Some have become so fatigued that they experience parental burnout, an exhaustion syndrome resulting from excessive chronic stress in the parental role. Pioneering studies have shown that although parental burnout is common worldwide, Western (versus non-Western) parents are particularly vulnerable to parental burnout. To explore the reason for this, this thesis offers an overview of contemporary Western parenting culture and identifies three characteristics that may predispose Western parents to burnout: (1) parents cultivate parenting perfectionism; (2) parents perceive their solidarity and social support being eroded; and (3) society is incorporating challenging parenting standards into expectations of correct parenting. It then brings together five empirical studies that demonstrate the associations of these characteristics with parental burnout. Together, this work sheds crucial light on why Western parents are particularly susceptible to parental burnout and offers insights for future research and potential prevention initiatives.
- Affiliations
UCLouvain SSH/IPSY - Psychological Sciences Research Institute UCLouvain Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
Citations
Lin, G.-X. (2023). Exploring the roots of parental burnout from contemporary western parenting culture. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/103392