High levels of stress in the parenting domain can lead to parental burnout, a condition that has severe consequences for both parents and children. It is not yet clear, however, whether parental burnout varies by culture, and if so, why it might do so. In this study, we examined the prevalence of parental burnout in 42 countries (17,409 parents; 71% mothers; M age = 39.20) and showed that the prevalence of parental burnout varies dramatically across countries. Analyses of cultural values revealed that individualistic cultures, in particular, displayed a noticeably higher prevalence and mean level of parental burnout. Indeed, individualism plays a larger role in parental burnout than either economic inequalities across countries, or any other individual and family characteristic examined so far, including the number and age of children and the number of hours spent with them. These results suggest that cultural values in Western countries may put parents under heightened levels of stress.

Research on the role of trait emotional intelligence (trait EI; Petrides, 2001) relating to teaching performance has emerged as an important topic. The present study proposes a multilevel model of teachers’ trait EI in relation to their job performance, which simultaneously addresses the mediating role of job satisfaction and the influences of school-level factors (i.e., organizational trust and principals’ trait EI). Results from a sample of 881 teachers and 37 principals in Chinese primary schools showed that job satisfaction partially mediated the positive relationship between teachers’ trait EI and their job performance. In addition, the findings demonstrated a cross-level moderated mediating effect, with the indirect effect of teachers’ trait EI on job performance (via job satisfaction) becoming stronger for teachers working in schools with lower levels of organizational trust. The hypothesized role of principals’ trait EI on teachers’ job performance was not supported. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

There is little doubt that currently trait EI (Trait emotional intelligence) theory and their measures have been found valid and reliable in several research and application settings. This research provides psychometric evidence of the TEIQue-SF in Chilean general and clinical population sample (n₁ = 335, n₂ = 120). The results confirmed the factor structure of the instrument and supported its multidimensionality. Hierarchical and bi-factor CFA models with the Spanish-Chilean-TEIQue-SF analysed its internal structure in the R environment, following the assessment of bi-factor ESEM models in Mplus. We performed these analyses both at the global and factorlevel. CFA models did not reach acceptable fit statistics for the models, whereas ESEM models reached good to excellent fit for the bi-factor models proposed. We also implemented measurement invariance analyses, which provided evidence for full measurement invariance between the original UK validation sample and the Chilean samples up to the scalar level. Also, the means for the global trait EI factor and the four factors (Well-being, Self-control, Emotionality and Sociability) were alike previous psychometric research with the questionnaire. The results highlight the importance of performing multidimensional factor analysis through ESEM following a bi-factor interpretation of the TEIQue-SF internal structure. 3 THE SPANISH-CHILEAN-TEIQUE-SF The study of Emotional Intelligence (EI) in Chile and Latin-America Although some studies have addressed EI in Chile, either their nature do not fit with the taxonomies already in place, or they suffer from methodological flaws. Therefore, addressing EI scientifically, with well-defined construct operationalisations, is eventually the only pathway for assessing the subjectivity of emotional experience (Petrides, 2009). Current research on emotional intelligence in Chile and Latin-America has usually not responded to psychometrically founded constructs such as trait EI. At most, local research has relied on trait EI scales of which no previous supporting psychometric evidence has been reported in the country. The latter is a serious limitation for assessing trait EI accurately not only in Chile but also in the region. For instance, some studies in the country have relied on the Spanish adaptation of the TMMS-48 (Trait Meta-Mood Scale-Spanish translation), performed in the late nineties in Spain (Fernández-Berrocal et al., 1998). Fernández-Berrocal, Salovey, Vera, Ramos and Extremera (2001) conducted a study based on this questionnaire four measures of emotional stability, where participants of U.S.A., Spain and Chile were compared cross-culturally regarding their trait EI and emotional stability. The authors concluded that the Spanish sample had a significantly lowest mean for trait EI compared to the U.S.A. and the Chilean samples. This latter also obtained the highest score for emotional balance. Although these authors did not inform measurement invariance between the samples, it can be deducted from the significant differenc...

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El presente estudio analizó la base de datos chilena de la investigación internacional en parental burnout (IIPB), focalizándose en diferencias de género en población general (N = 430). Para esto, comparamos madres y padres a través de las escalas de evaluación de agotamiento parental (PBA). Todas las comparaciones de medias de rangos fueron significativamente más altas para las mujeres que para los hombres, con la excepción de distanciamiento emocional. Por último, un modelo de regresión linear explicó el 16% de la varianza para la variable criterio: burnout parental global. Discutimos los resultados a la luz de las políticas públicas en parentalidad, dado que este fue el primer estudio que utilizó el PBA en Chile.

The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian adaptation of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF). In a sample of 512 participants, we tested model fit by bifactor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM), followed by measurement invariance testing against UK and Chilean datasets of the measure. The Big Five Mini-Markers, Satisfaction with Life Scale and Subjective Happiness Scale were also administered as external validation measures. We obtained the following results: a) final adequate bifactor ESEM model fit; b) a significantly higher global trait EI mean for men (d = .27); c) high internal consistency for global trait EI (α = .88), in spite of lower Cronbach's α values at the factor level (.60−.85); d) high correlation (r = .89) in the test-retest; e) significant correlation between global trait EI and most of the Big Five dimensions (r = -.66−.46), life satisfaction (.59) and happiness (.68); f) evidence of incremental validity of trait EI for life satisfaction and happiness over and above the Big Five; g) equivalent measurement across the Brazilian, UK and Chilean versions of the TEIQue-SF.We conclude that the Brazilian TEIQue-SF is psychometrically sound and can be recommended for research and practical use.

What is it to be “an ideal parent”? Does the answer differ across countries and social classes? To answer these questions in a way that minimizes bias and ethnocentrism, we used open-ended questions to explore ideal-parent beliefs among 8,357 mothers and 3,517 fathers from 37 countries. Leximancer Semantic Network Analysis was utilized to first determine parenting culture zones (i.e., countries with shared ideal-parent beliefs) and then extract the predominant themes and concepts in each culture zone. The results yielded specific types of ideal-parent beliefs in five parenting culture zones: being “responsible and children/family-focused” for Asian parents, being “responsible and proper demeanor-focused” for African parents, and being “loving and responsible” for Hispanic-Italian parents. Although the most important themes and concepts were the same in the final two zones—being “loving and patient,” there were subtle differences: English-speaking, European Union, and Russian parents emphasized “being caring,” while French-speaking parents valued “listening” or being “present.” Ideal-parent beliefs also differed by education levels within culture zones, but no general pattern was discerned across culture zones. These findings suggest that the country in which parents were born cannot fully explain their differences in ideal-parent beliefs and that differences arising from social class or education level cannot be dismissed. Future research should consider how these differences affect the validity of the measurements in question and how they can be incorporated into parenting intervention research within and across cultures.

In Western countries, recent decades have witnessed a revolution toward gender equality. Inequalities have been greatly reduced in areas such as education or employment. Because inequalities lead to distress, this development has largely benefited women. One notable exception is the realm of parenting, which has remained rife with inequalities even in the most egalitarian countries. We hypothesized that experiencing inequality in parenting when one holds egalitarian values and raising a child in a country characterized by a high level of gender equality in other areas, increases mothers’ psychological distress in the specific area of parenting. Multilevel modeling analyses computed among 11,538 mothers from 40 countries confirmed this prediction: high egalitarian values at the individual level and high gender equality at the societal level are associated with higher burnout levels in mothers. The associations hold beyond differences in sociodemographic characteristics at the individual level and beyond economic disparities at the societal level. These findings show the importance of egalitarian values and gender equality and their paradoxical effect when inequalities are still present in specific areas as parenting. This study reveals the crucial need to act not only at the micro level but also at the macro level to promote gender equality in parenting and prevent parental burnout.