Non-Supportive Coparenting and a High Interdependent Self-Construal as Risk Factors for Parental Burnout in Mothers and Fathers in Switzerland

Multiple determinants of parental burnout have been identified, among which two indexes of non-supportive coparenting play a central role: low endorsement of the partner's parenting, and high exposure of the child to interparental conflicts. It is, however, unclear whether these coparenting dimensions play a role for both mothers and fathers, and if this role may be more important for parents who have a high interdependent self-construal. We surveyed a sample of upper-middle-class heterosexual parents living in a dual-earner family arrangement (152 mothers, 101 fathers) with 0- to 12-year-old children living at home. Parents answered questionnaires about burnout, sociodemographic variables, coparenting, self-construal independence and interdependence, and child-related variables. Generalized linear model analyses showed that (i) burnout is higher in mothers than in fathers; (ii) for fathers, burnout is associated with a higher exposure of the child to interparental conflicts; (iii) for mothers, it is associated with a younger age of the youngest child, a higher exposure of the child to interparental conflicts, a lower endorsement of the partner's parenting, and a higher self-construal interdependence; and (iv) there is no moderation effect of interdependence on the link between the coparenting dimensions and burnout. Burnout is higher in mothers than it is in fathersFor fathers, burnout is linked with higher exposure of the child to interparental conflicts, an index of non-supportive coparentingFor mothers, burnout is linked with a younger age of the youngest child and with two indexes of non-supportive coparenting: higher exposure of the child to interparental conflicts and lower endorsement of the partner's parentingA high interdependent self-construal is related to burnout in mothers and does not moderate the links between non-supportive coparenting and burnout in either parentSpecificities in the variables linked to burnout in mothers and in fathers should be taken into account when treating parental burnout