Self‐compassion reduces parental burnout: Mediation roles of parental psychological control and support

Abstract

This study investigated the mediating role of parental psychological control (PPC) and support in the relationship between self‐compassion and parental burnout syndrome. The study participants included 1185 Vietnamese parents who completed questionnaires regarding demographic information, parental burnout, self‐compassion, parental support of the child, and PPC. We used data analyses, including structural equation modeling, to test the mediation roles of PPC and parental support of the child. Our main findings include: (1) self‐compassion had a significant negative effect on parental burnout; (2) the mediation roles of PPC and parental support of the child were also significant. These results suggest that parents with high self‐compassion tend to provide more support for children in daily parenting, which helps reduce parental burnout. In contrast, parents with low self‐compassion were more likely to use PPC, which exacerbated their burnout. The results from this study provide suggestions for creating effective interventions in the family context to reduce parental burnout and improve parenting effectiveness.

Disproportionately High Rates of Burnout Among Disabled Caregivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Research could also emphasize determining a more appropriate term to examine the imbalance between resources and demands among populations of interest. Additionally, previous research on reducing caregiver burnout has focused primarily on individual caregiver behavioral changes such as emotional regulation and self-compassion to reduce burnout [49,51]. Future studies of burnout among disabled and other marginalized caregivers should consider not only these individual behaviors, but structural ableism and racism and how this can impact caregiver burnout.…”