MetaTOC stay on top of your field, easily

Early Child Temperament Predicts Parental Burnout in First‐Time Mothers

, ,

Family Relations / Family Relations Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies

Published online on

Abstract

["Family Relations, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\n\nObjective\nThe aim of the study was to explore the relationship between the temperament in early childhood and parental burnout in first‐time mothers.\n\n\nBackground\nFrom birth, a child's temperament manifests in their physiological and emotional expressions, which have been linked to levels of parental stress, potentially contributing to parental burnout.\n\n\nMethod\nRothbart's questionnaires for measuring early temperament and Parental Burnout Assessment were administered to first‐time mothers of children under 3 years of age (88 mothers of infants and 248 mothers of toddlers).\n\n\nResults\nParental burnout in mothers of infants was associated with the child's negative affectivity, along with background variables (male gender of the child, the presence of special needs, and maternal employment), which together explained 35% of the variance in parental burnout. In mothers of toddlers, 19% of the variance in parental burnout was explained by the child's negative affectivity and lower orienting/regulation.\n\n\nConclusion\nWe have demonstrated an association between a young child's temperament (specifically, negative affectivity and regulatory capacity) and parental burnout in mothers.\n\n\nImplications\nKnowledge about the existence and symptoms of parental burnout, as well as the importance of a child's temperament as a contextual variable in relation to burnout, should be incorporated into prenatal education programs for parents and in the professional training of pediatricians and midwives.\n\n"]