Understanding the types of social support that can mitigate parental burnout in mothers of children with medical complexity.

Abstract

Parental burnout is characterized by exhaustion, emotional distancing and a sense of ineffectiveness in the parenting role. Parents of children with medical complexity (CMC) face various challenges due to their child's diagnosis. Specifically, mothers of CMC experience more parental burnout symptoms than mothers of children without healthcare needs. Multiple studies have identified interventions for mitigating caregiver stress in parents of CMC. However, social support is of interest to organizations that provide services geared towards the family unit's social-emotional wellbeing. This article aims to explore the role of social support in mitigating parental burnout in mothers of CMC. It also aims to offer guidance to community-based organizations, practitioners, and mental health advocates on how to best allocate resources to provide social support opportunities for mothers of CMC. A qualitative case study approach was utilized to explore the role of social support in mitigating parental burnout in mothers of CMC. A sample of five mothers of CMC participated in an interview regarding the role of social support in mitigating parental burnout. Within-case analysis was used to identify overarching themes, followed by cross-case analysis to determine similarities among participants' experience. Three salient themes emerged from the participants' interviews: isolation, types of social support, and the benefits of helping others. Types of social support included four subcategories: church support, practical support, mental health support and respite/childcare support. Results of the study indicated that active engagement in specific types of social support was critical in mitigating parental burnout and feelings of isolation in mothers of CMC. Furthermore, results revealed that mothers of CMC experience positive benefits from helping others. These findings encourage community-based organizations to focus on maximizing partnerships with churches and other non-profit organizations to develop strategic programmes for mitigating parental burnout in mothers of CMC.