Page 71 - IJPS-9-3

International Journal of
Population Studies COVID-19 effects on parent burnout

parent burnout. In a Japanese study, Kawamoto et al. 5. Conclusion
(2018) reported that the perfectionism scale modified for
studying parenting explained 22% of the variance in parent This study reveals that emotional instability, introversion,
burnout. Although perfectionism, especially self-critical and conscientiousness can predict parent burnout.
perfectionism, was found to be associated with burnout In addition, parent burnout is associated with
in the present study, this relationship had a negligible sociodemographic variables and COVID-19 experiences.
effect on the prediction of burnout in the hierarchical When the literature on parenting in Türkiye is examined,
regression analysis. This may have resulted from not using it is seen that the studies are mostly conducted on the
a parenting-specific perfectionism scale since it has been “mother” but 43% of the participants in this study are
confirmed that only tailored scale can yield accurate results fathers. Therefore, this research also represents the fathers
or illustrate the effects of perfectionism in the context of in the context of parent burnout. By shedding light on
investigating perfectionism specific to a particular field the personality traits, demographic features, risk, and
(Dunn et al., 2011; Stoeber & Yang, 2015; Kawamoto protective factors associated with burnout, the present
et al., 2018). The conclusion obtained in this study that study provides mental health professionals with crucial
perfectionism, especially self-critical perfectionism, is insights into the preventive and therapeutic strategies
associated with burnout is supported by the literature. for parent burnout. The Cronbach’s alpha values of
There are studies showing that socially determined subscales of the IPISV scale used in the study were lower
perfectionism and perfectionist concerns are a risk factor than 0.70, which was considered a limitation for this
for parental burnout (Kawamoto et al., 2018). Self-critical study.
perfectionism, which is defined as heavy self-criticism Acknowledgments
toward oneself, thinking that others demand perfection
from him, anxiety after making mistakes, and doubting None.
about actions, can be accepted as a factor that increases
stress in the context of parenting. Parents trying to do Funding
“very well” may also exhaust themselves, especially if they None.
think that their environment expects them to be “perfect”
parents. Conflict of interest
There are several limitations of the present study The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
that should be considered. First of all, this research was
carried out within a study group, which was formed by Author contributions
convenient sampling method, and the participants were Conceptualization: Elif Yöyen, Zeynep Betül Topçu
reached over the internet. Thus, the nature of this study Formal analysis: Tülay Barış, Ayşe Bahar Duyar
limits the generalizability of the results. In future studies, Investigation: All authors
a sample of participants recruited by means of a random Methodology: Elif Yöyen, Zeynep Betül Topçu
sampling method and a face-to-face interview can be Writing – original draft: Elif Yöyen
used. Second, considering that our findings were based Writing – review & editing: Elif Yöyen
on self-report measures, some parents might under-report
the frequency of experiencing various symptoms/items, Ethics approval and consent to participate
especially in PBA, due to social desirability. Furthermore, a The study was conducted according to the guidelines of
pre-disclosure about the theme of this study, that is, parent the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Ethics
burnout, to the participants might influence their interest Committee of University of Maltepe (protocol code
in the survey in a non-neutral way, thus bolstering the self- 2021/07-13; 05.03.2021).
selection bias. Another limitation of this study is that the
groups compared were different in number. In addition, Consent for publication
the current research was cross-sectional, and therefore, the
variation of the findings over the period was not evaluated. Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects
Longitudinal studies can give detailed information about involved in the study and permission was obtained from
the causes and consequences of burnout. In addition, each of the subjects to publish their data.
studies using qualitative methods may be beneficial for Availability of data
better understanding the context of parent burnout and
the associated thoughts, feelings, and situations of parents Data can be shared following formal request from the
in Türkiye. corresponding author.

Volume 9 Issue 3 (2023) 65 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.387