Parents relationship in the case of parental burnout. A combined investigation of couple and coparenting factors

Background: Previous studies on parental burnout (PB) risk factors suggested that some characteristics of parents’ couple and coparenting relationships may largely contribute to PB variance. Although some studies examined the associations between parental burnout and some couple (e.g. couple satisfaction) or coparental variables (e.g., coparental agreement), none has taken a combined look at all these variables taken together. Furthermore, other coparenting and couple variables of great clinical relevance have never been studied empirically. The aim of our study is to examine the amount of PB variance explained by a large number of couple and coparenting variables but also to compare their relative weight.
Method: Mothers (N=483) from the general population with a romantic partner and a coparent were recruited through social media. They were invited to answer a 30 minutes online survey in French. Parental burnout, couple and coparenting variables were examined through self-reported measures. Twenty-two couple and coparenting variables and ten questionnaires were included. Firstly, correlations were performed to examine the associations between PB and each conjugal and coparenting variable. Secondly, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted to explore the latent structure of the questionnaires and regroup the 22 variables into factors. As a third and main step, a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) helped us to examine the relative contribution of couple and coparenting factors to PB variance.
Results: All the correlations between the couple and coparenting variables and PB were significant except for one. The EFA helped us to identify a three factor structure. The GLM model was statistically significant. Couple distress and conflicts and positive coparenting cognitions were significant predictors of PB.
Discussion and conclusion: Our findings are coherent with the existing literature. They add upon the literature as some variables have never been analyzed before and the effects of couple and coparenting factors have never been compared. In conclusion, couple and coparenting dynamics play a complex and crucial role in PB and should be taken into account for future interventions.