Core Finding: PR-CAR-C01

Support for Parents & Caregivers

Caregivers Self-Care

Parenting stress is experienced when the demands of parenting exceed the coping resources that a parent perceives they have available.

PARENTAL STRESS AND BURNOUT

When parenting demands exceed the coping resources that parents perceive they have, parents experience parenting stress.

Excessive stress can block maternal sensitivity that will lead to reactions that punish the child and negatively affect the parent-child relationship for the long term.

Azhari, A., Leck, W. Q., Gabrieli, G., Bizzego, A., Rigo, P., Setoh, P., Bornstein, M. H., & Esposito, G. (2019). Parenting Stress Undermines Mother-Child Brain-to-Brain Synchrony: A Hyperscanning Study. Scientific Reports, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-47810-4

The article "Is burnout solely job-related? A critical comment"

Bianchi, R., Truchot, D., Laurent, E., Brisson, R., & Schonfeld, I. S. (2014). Is burnout solely job-related? A critical comment. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 55(4), 357–361. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12119

highlighted that burnout could be more than a work-related condition and cannot be confined to work only. According to the article, any activity that can elicit frequent and intense stress response can contribute to burnout. This viewpoint, controversial at the time, echoes that of another paper that emphasises that burnout "can occur in all spheres that give people a sense of meaning".

Pines A., & Aronson, E. (1988). Career Burnout: Causes and Cures. New York, NY: Free Press.

Since parenting is both a complex and stressful activity

4, 5, 6

Abidin R. R. (1990). Parenting Stress Index (PSI). Charlottesville, VA: Paediatric Psychology Press.
Crnic K., & Low, C. (2002). Everyday stresses and parenting. In Bornstein, M. H. (Ed.), Handbook of Parenting (Vol. 5, pp. 243–267). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Deater-Deckard, K. (2014). Parenting Stress. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

and because children give meaning to their parents' lives,

United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics. (2012). Personal well-being in the UK. Retrieved from https://www.ons.gov.uk/

parenting could produce burnout that exists outside work.

A survey conducted among Chinese parents showed 70% of respondents did not feel confident that they have enough skills to handle the challenges of parenthood. Those who felt competent also hoped that there would be more talks on parenting issues.

37% felt confident that they would be able to cope with a crying infant. 20% of respondents had not heard of neonatal jaundice (NNJ). The majority among those who knew about NNJ had learnt about it from friends and relatives, with minimal healthcare professionals' contribution. Most of them had misleading information about breastfeeding, what is helpful to cope with jaundice or the G6PD deficiency.

Poon, W. B., Ho, W. L., & Yeo, C. L. (2007). Survey on parenting practices among Chinese in Singapore. Singapore Medical Journal, 48(11), 1006–1011.

The evidence affirms the existence and specificity of parental burnout. Additionally, parental burnout was found to predict outcomes that were not predicted by job burnout. While both forms of burnout equally predict somatic complaints, sleep disorders, and addictive behaviours, parental burnout has a unique effect of neglectful and violent behaviours toward children.

Mikolajczak, M., Brianda, M. E., Avalosse, H., & Roskam, I. (2018). Consequences of parental burnout: Its specific effect on child neglect and violence. Child abuse & neglect, 80, 134–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.03.025

Findings from the Growing Up In Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) study indicate that higher maternal parenting stress increased the risk of internalising problems. This association was more pronounced among children with high levels of exuberance.

Tsotsi, S., Broekman, B. F. P., Shek, L. P., Tan, K. H., Chong, Y. S., Chen, H., Meaney, M. J., Rifkin‐Graboi, A. E. (2018). Maternal Parenting Stress, Child Exuberance, and Preschoolers’ Behavior Problems. Child Development, 90(1), 136–146. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13180

High child-related parenting stress may be particularly salient in Singapore too. High parenting stress could likely be associated with increased scolding or punitive parenting practices, which, consequently, may be associated with elevated anxiety and emotional distress in children.

Tsotsi, S., Broekman, B. F. P., Shek, L. P., Tan, K. H., Chong, Y. S., Chen, H., Meaney, M. J., Rifkin‐Graboi, A. E. (2018). Maternal Parenting Stress, Child Exuberance, and Preschoolers’ Behavior Problems. Child Development, 90(1), 136–146. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13180