Beware of stress in parenting

When the daily stress of parenting becomes chronic, it can turn into parental burnout, an intense exhaustion that leads parents to feel detached from their children and unsure of their parenting abilities, according to research published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. This type of burnout can have serious consequences for both parent and child, increasing parental neglect, harm, and thoughts about escape.

A total of 2,068 parents participated in a survey conducted as part of the research. The participants' data revealed a strong association between burnout and the three variables - escape ideation, parental neglect, and parental violence - at each of the three time points.
Parents need to know that self-care is good for the child and that when they feel severely exhausted, they should seek help. Health and child services professionals need to be informed about parental burnout so that they can accurately diagnose it and provide parents with the most appropriate care.