'Parental burnout' is a state of chronic exhaustion related to parenting role

In 2015 , psychologists Isabelle Roskam and Moira Mikolajczak introduced the notion of parental burnout’ The concept spread rapidly, resonating with parents across the world.

Parental burnout is a state of chronic exhaustion related to our parenting role.

Risk factors contributing to burnout include unsustainably high parenting ideals, parental perfectionism, lack of family and other support networks, unsupportive partners, and unfair distributions of parenting and household chores.

In extreme cases, burnout can result in child neglect and maltreatment.

Our parenting ideals have never been higher, more high-stakes, more time- and emotional-labour intensive, and more socially pressurized than they are right now.

The driving force behind the compassionate turn in parenting styles is the development of science and the ability to prove the impact of care, writes Sarah Ockwell-Smith .

[v] King’s College London ( 2023 ), ”Parenting Priorities: International Attitudes Towards raising Children”. Online at: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policy-institute/assets/parenting-priorities.pdf..