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

Roskam I.; Aguiar J.; Akgun E.; Arena A.F.; Arikan G.; Aunola K.; Besson E.; Beyers W.; Boujut E.; Brianda M.E.; Brytek-Matera A.; Budak A.M.; Carbonneau N.; César F.; Chen B.-B.; Dorard G.; dos Santos Elias L.C.; Dunsmuir S.; Egorova N.; Favez N.; Fontaine A.-M.; Foran H.; Fricke J.; Furutani K.; Gannagé M.; Gaspar M.; Godbout L.; Goldenberg A.; Gross J.J.; Gurza M.A.; Helmy M.; Huynh M.T.; Kawamoto T.; Lazarevic L.B.; Le Vigouroux S.; Lebert-Charron A.; Leme V.; MacCann C.; Manrique-Millones D.; Matias M.; Miranda-Orrego M.I.; Miscioscia M.; Morgades-Bamba C.; Mousavi S.F.; Muntean A.; Olderbak S.; Osman F.; Oyarce-Cadiz D.; Pérez-Díaz P.A.; Petrides K.V.; Pineda-Marin C.; Prikhidko A.; Ricci R.T.; Salinas-Quiroz F.; Sarrionandia A.; Scola C.; Simonelli A.; Cabrera P.S.; Soenens B.; Sorbring E.; Sorkkila M.; Schrooyen C.; Stănculescu E.; Starchenkova E.; Szczygiel D.; Tapia J.; Tri T.M.T.; Tremblay M.; van Bakel H.; Verhofstadt L.; Wendland J.; Yotanyamaneewong S.; Mikolajczak M. · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology (2024) · DOI: 10.1007/s00127-023-02487-z

Resumen

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. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany 2023.

Instituciones: Universidad Científica del Sur