Exhaustion from Parenting Responsibilities in the Families living in Tehran: The Role of Fathers and Mothers' Involvement in Parental Functions

Document Type : Original

Author

Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Women Research Center, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Parental involvement in fulfilling parenting responsibilities has positive outcomes for parents and children. The study aimed to investigate the role of fathers and mothers' cooperation for doing parental tasks in predicting the parental burnout experience of families living in Tehran. The research method was descriptive and correlated. The research sample consisted of 391 parents (195 mothers and 196 fathers) who participated by volunteers in the study from different regions of Tehran in the fall of 2018. Measurements include the Parental Involvement in Parental Functions and duties Scale adopted by Roskam, Brianda, & Mikolajczak (2018) and Parental Burnout Assessment by Roskam & Mikolajczak (2018). The results of the correlation test and regression analysis showed that fathers' functions in satisfying the financial needs of children were negatively correlated with parental feeling fed up and satisfying basic needs associated negatively with emotional distance from children (p < .05). Increasing parental involvement, especially in fathers, for providing financially, moral, stimulation and emotional needs of children to help maternal functioning correlated with the reduction of exhaustion and burnout caused by parental tasks. The results also showed that fulfilling the basic needs of children alone by fathers predicts increased parental burnout in fathers. In addition, the feeling of involvement of fathers in fulfilling their children's financial needs by mothers was able to predict the reduction of parental burnout in mothers (P=.02). Given the recent cultural and social changes, it seems that fathers' involvement in parental functions can lead to positive psychological consequences for both parents and children.

Keywords

References

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Family Counseling and Psychotherapy
Volume 10, Issue 1 - Serial Number 29
February 2021
Pages 271-298

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History

  • Receive Date: 18 May 2020
  • Revise Date: 29 August 2020
  • Accept Date: 30 August 2020

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