Protective factors against parental burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively influenced families across the world and contributed to the likelihood of increased parental burnout and decreased parental psychological well-being. However, not all parents experienced parental burnout during the pandemic. In the current study, we focu...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79020-y |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850169421687947264 |
|---|---|
| author | Yael Enav Yaara Iron Inbal Kivenson Bar-On Miri Scharf |
| author_facet | Yael Enav Yaara Iron Inbal Kivenson Bar-On Miri Scharf |
| author_sort | Yael Enav |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively influenced families across the world and contributed to the likelihood of increased parental burnout and decreased parental psychological well-being. However, not all parents experienced parental burnout during the pandemic. In the current study, we focused on protective factors that buffered the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on parents and supported parents’ quality of life. Based on previous literature, we hypothesized optimism, humor, and resilience will be associated with lower levels of parental burnout. Two hundred and eighty-one Israeli parents participated in the study, completing questionnaires during the government-mandated lockdown. Questionnaires examined information pertaining to both participants’ personal characteristics (optimism and pessimism, self-enhancing humor, resilience, parental stress, and perceptions of the youngest child’s functioning) and background characteristics (parental age, gender, health condition, socioeconomic status, employment status, and youngest child’s age) to examine the relationship between these variables and parental burnout. Findings indicate that resilience, optimism, and humor facilitated reduced parental burnout and enhanced parental well-being during the pandemic. However, these variables were not associated with parents’ stress perception. This study sheds light on the importance of having an optimistic perspective, positive sense of humor, and resilience at times of prolonged stress. Implications for interventions targeting optimistic attitudes and humor are suggested. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2d4e2fed2a254a92883186e2aaf10f91 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-2d4e2fed2a254a92883186e2aaf10f912025-08-20T02:20:44ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-12-0114111010.1038/s41598-024-79020-yProtective factors against parental burnout during the COVID-19 pandemicYael Enav0Yaara Iron1Inbal Kivenson Bar-On2Miri Scharf3Department of Counseling and Human Development, University of HaifaDepartment of Counseling and Human Development, University of HaifaDepartment of Counseling and Human Development, University of HaifaDepartment of Counseling and Human Development, University of HaifaAbstract The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively influenced families across the world and contributed to the likelihood of increased parental burnout and decreased parental psychological well-being. However, not all parents experienced parental burnout during the pandemic. In the current study, we focused on protective factors that buffered the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on parents and supported parents’ quality of life. Based on previous literature, we hypothesized optimism, humor, and resilience will be associated with lower levels of parental burnout. Two hundred and eighty-one Israeli parents participated in the study, completing questionnaires during the government-mandated lockdown. Questionnaires examined information pertaining to both participants’ personal characteristics (optimism and pessimism, self-enhancing humor, resilience, parental stress, and perceptions of the youngest child’s functioning) and background characteristics (parental age, gender, health condition, socioeconomic status, employment status, and youngest child’s age) to examine the relationship between these variables and parental burnout. Findings indicate that resilience, optimism, and humor facilitated reduced parental burnout and enhanced parental well-being during the pandemic. However, these variables were not associated with parents’ stress perception. This study sheds light on the importance of having an optimistic perspective, positive sense of humor, and resilience at times of prolonged stress. Implications for interventions targeting optimistic attitudes and humor are suggested.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79020-yParental burnoutCOVID 19OptimismHumorResilience |
| spellingShingle | Yael Enav Yaara Iron Inbal Kivenson Bar-On Miri Scharf Protective factors against parental burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic Scientific Reports Parental burnout COVID 19 Optimism Humor Resilience |
| title | Protective factors against parental burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full | Protective factors against parental burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Protective factors against parental burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Protective factors against parental burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_short | Protective factors against parental burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_sort | protective factors against parental burnout during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | Parental burnout COVID 19 Optimism Humor Resilience |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79020-y |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yaelenav protectivefactorsagainstparentalburnoutduringthecovid19pandemic AT yaarairon protectivefactorsagainstparentalburnoutduringthecovid19pandemic AT inbalkivensonbaron protectivefactorsagainstparentalburnoutduringthecovid19pandemic AT mirischarf protectivefactorsagainstparentalburnoutduringthecovid19pandemic |