Self-care behaviours and parental burnout in a large sample of Polish mothers

Abstract

Introduction and Objective. The severity of parental burnout in Poland is the highest in the world. This is a significant social problem for both parents and their children. Previous research on burnout indicates the importance of self-care in reducing the risk of burnout. Therefore, it was decided to investigate whether self-care is a predictor of parental burnout, and if so, which self-care behaviours are more significant predictors of parental burnout in Polish mothers. Materials and Method. The study included 1,113 women from the general Polish population, aged 20–50 (M=32.01, SD=4.20). Parental burnout and self-care were assessed using the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA) and the Self-Care Questionnaire, respectively. Results. As expected, the correlational analysis revealed negative links between the all self-care dimensions and parental burnout. Regression analysis indicated that among the eight dimensions of self-care, the most significant predictors of parental burnout were valuing oneself and one’s life, readiness and initiative to face life’s challenges, and belief about the availability and possibility of obtaining social support. Across demographic variables, living in larger cities, a higher number of children, and a higher level of education were associated with higher levels of parental burnout in Polish mothers. Conclusions. Higher levels of self-care behaviours were associated with lower levels of parental burnout in Polish mothers.