Abstract
ABSTRACT Background Parental burnout – a condition characterised by intense exhaustion related to parenting, emotional distancing from one’s children, a loss of parental fulfilment, and a lack of recognition of oneself as the parent used and wanted to be – is particularly critical during the perinatal period. While previous research has focused mainly on mothers, suggesting that dispositional and couple factors influence parental burnout more than sociodemographic factors, little is known about fathers’ experiences and the influence of personality and couple functioning on parental burnout. Method This cross-sectional study examined the impact of personality functioning (Level of Personality Functioning Scale – Brief Form 2.0) and the moderating role of parenting alliance (Parenting Alliance Measure) on parental burnout (Parental Burnout Assessment) among 434 cisgender heterosexual first-time parents (345 primary caregiving mothers: M age = 38.03, SD = 6.20; 89 secondary caregiving fathers: M age = 38.29, SD = 6.85) with children aged 0–12 months (49.54% assigned females at birth). Results Fathers reported lower parental burnout and higher parenting alliance compared to mothers. Greater impairments in self-functioning were associated with increased parental burnout, particularly in mothers. Parenting alliance moderated this relationship; lower perceived parenting alliance amplified the negative impact of self-functioning impairments on parental burnout for both mothers and fathers. Interpersonal functioning did not significantly predict parental burnout. Conclusion Tailored interventions, especially perinatally, should aim at strengthening parenting alliance and enhancing mothers’ and fathers’ self-functioning, with future research exploring diverse family and cultural contexts for comprehensive intervention strategies. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
Published Version
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