Parental burnout biological correlates: the association with hair cortisol

Parental burnout (PB) is a syndrome resulting from long-term exposure to parenting stress with a chronic imbalance of parental demands over resources. It involves four dimensions: exhaustion, contrast with previous parental self, loss of pleasure and fulfillment in parenting, and emotional distancing towards children. PB may lead to harmful consequences for parents (e.g., health deterioration, suicidal ideations) and children (e.g., parental neglect and violence). Recent studies have opened the way to the investigation of PB biological correlates through analysis of hair cortisol concentration (HCC) of affected parents.
This talk will outline the main results of two studies conducted on this topic at the Parental Burnout research lab at UCLouvain (Belgium). In Study 1, we compared the HCC of parents suffering from PB (N=119) to that of control parents (N=59). In Study 2, we examined the HCC of burned-out parents before and after participation in a PB intervention (N=88). Results show that parents suffering from PB have significantly higher HCC and suggest that psychological interventions aimed at reducing PB may lead to a normalization of participants’ cortisol levels.
Further psychoneuroendocrinology research is needed on PB to deepen our understanding of its relationship with HCC. Nevertheless, our findings provide further evidence that PB should not be underestimated as it may represent a threat to the physical health of affected parents.