About some factors of stress generation of parental role in ‟intensive” parents

Abstract

The study presents the results of a two-stage study of the influence of basic personal and parental beliefs on parenting stress in the context of intensive parenting practices on a sample (N = 287) of parents. The aim of the study is to study the characteristics of parental stress in parents focused on intensive parenting practices, as well as to search for factors that influence the stressfulness of the parental role. At the first stage of the study, three empirical groups of parents are distinguished depending on the severity of attitudes towards intensive parenthood, and the characteristics of psycho-emotional well-being among ‟involved”, ‟intensive” and ‟detached” parents are described. At the second stage of the study, stress factors are considered in groups with the severity of attitudes towards intensive parental practices - ‟intensive” and ‟detached” parents. It has been established that dissatisfaction with parenthood acts as a significant sign or mechanism for the development of parental stress, regardless of the attitudes and practices of education. The factors of protection from the stressfulness of the parental role of ‟intensive” parents are: 1) positive basic personal ideas about oneself, about the world as an expression of the ‟I-Image”, reflecting the self-esteem of the individual. Basic personal beliefs reduce parenting stress and its components and increase parenting satisfaction; 2) positive parenting beliefs are beliefs associated with self-confidence as a parent. In other words, the negative impact of parental stress factors is determined not only by their intensity, but by the subjective context of the perception of parenthood as a vital sphere and social role and oneself in this role.