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

Abstract

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). ResultsThe 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. ConclusionThe 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 selfdirected socialization goals. The results provide some important indications of how to prevent parental burnout at the societal level in Western countries.

A Scoping Review of Children, Empowerment, and Smartphone Technology Regarding Social Construction Theory with the Aim of Increasing Self-Direction in Democracies

“…Considering children as Dependents gives adults cause for reasons to restrict children's smartphone use (Yadav and Chakraborty 2022); however, this also decreases children's self-direction, simultaneously limiting the self-direction of their caregivers as they are charged with supervising children to an extent that, when supervising, they are unable to devote time to their own self-direction. This is a detriment not only for the children unable to self-direct but also for the adults who are kept from their personal self-direction (Hepburn 2020; Mone and Benga 2022)important in producing parental burnout in democratic countries-negatively affecting their mental health (Roskam et al 2023). Therefore, with self-direction the aim, finding ways and means to permit greater self-direction in children will aid not only children but also their parents/caretakers who then would have time released from supervising children to self-direct their own lives, longitudinally representing both an individual and social benefit (Daniel et al 2023).…”

A Scoping Review of Children, Empowerment and Smartphone Technology Regarding Social Construction Theory with the Aim of Increasing Self-Direction in Democracies

“…Considering children as Dependents gives adults cause for reasons to restrict children's smartphone use [64]; however, this also decreases children's self-direction, simultaneously limiting the self-direction of their caregivers as they are charged with supervising children to an extent that, when supervising, they are unable to devote time to their own self-direction. This is a detriment not only for the children unable to selfdirect but also for the adults who are kept from their personal self-direction [65,66]-important in producing parental burnout in democratic countries-negatively affecting their mental health [67]. Therefore, with self-direction the aim, finding ways and means to permit greater self-direction in children will aid not only children but also their parents/caretakers who then would have time released from supervising children to self-direct their own lives, longitudinally representing both an individual and social benefit [68].…”