Maternal Self-Efficacy: A Buffer against Burnout in the Storms of Parent-Child Interactions

Abstract :

This study aimed to examine the mediating role of parental self-efficacy in the relationship between parent–child interactions and parental burnout among Iranian mothers. The research design was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population consisted of mothers with children, and 305 participants were selected using a voluntary convenience sampling method. The instruments included the Persian short form of the Parental Burnout Scale (Mousavi et al., 2025), the Parent–Child Relationship Scale (CPRS), and the Parental Self-Efficacy Measure (PSAM). Data were analyzed using correlation and mediation analysis. The results indicated significant relationships between the dimensions of parent–child interactions (closeness and conflict), parental self-efficacy, and parental burnout (p < .01). Mediation analysis revealed that parental self-efficacy significantly mediated the relationships between closeness and conflict with parental burnout, such that greater closeness and lower conflict reduced burnout through higher self-efficacy. These findings suggest that enhancing the quality of parent–child interactions and strengthening parental self-efficacy can serve as effective strategies for preventing parental burnout among Iranian mothers and provide a foundation for the development of targeted, evidence-based family interventions.

References:

صادق زاده، مرضیه، عباسی، مسلم، تقی پور، نگار و قاسمی، نظام الدین. (1402). رابطه ساختاری والدگری ذهن‌ آگاه و فرسودگی والدینی: نقش واسطه‌ای استرس والدگری مادران. خانواده پژوهی، 19(3)، 501-518. [link]
صادقی، مریم، اکبری چرمهینی، صغرا، بهرامی، علی رضا و سید موسوی، پریسا سادات. (1401). اثربخشی بازی درمانی دلبستگی محور برخودکارآمدی والدینی مادران، تنظیم هیجانی و سازگاری اجتماعی کودکان دارای اضطراب جدایی: مطالعه موردی. روان‌شناسی کاربردی، 16(2)، 132-107. [link]
طالعی، علی، طهماسیان، کارینه و وفائی، نرگس. (1390). اثربخشی آموزش برنامه فرزندپروری مثبت بر خوداثرمندی والدینی مادران. خانواده پژوهی، 7(3)، 323-311. [link]
عباس زاده، آرزو، موللی، گیتا، پورمحمدرضای تجریشی، معصومه و واحدی، محسن. (1400). اثربخشی آموزش والدگری بر سلامت روان و رابطه والد کودک در مادران کودکان کم‌شنوا. توانبخشی، 22(2)، 227-210. [link]
غلامی حسنارودی، مطهره، فاتحی، نازنین، موسوی، سیده فاطمه. (1402). نقش میانجی‌گر تنظیم هیجان در رابطه بین صفات شخصیتی روان‌رنجورخویی و وظیفه‌شناسی با فرسودگی والدینی در مادران شهر تهران در بازه زمانی ۱۴۰۲-۱۴۰۱: یک مطالعه توصیفی. مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی رفسنجان، 22(۱۰)، ۱۰۱۹-۱۰۳۶. [link]
کوثری، فرزانه، صباحی، پرویز، و مکوند حسینی، شاهرخ. (1402). اثر بخشی برنامه ترکیبی آموزش مدیریت والدین و فرزندپروری ذهن ‎آگاهانه بر استرس والدگری، رابطه والد–کودک و مشکلات برونی سازی شده ‎کودک. روان‌شناسی کاربردی، 17(2)، 115-139. [link]
محنا، سیده مریم و سامانی، سیامک. (1396). خودکارآمدی والدین در گونه¬های مختلف خانواده: مدل فرایند و محتوای خانواده. مشاوره کاربردی، 7(2)، 16-1. [link]
موسوی، سیده فاطمه، بخشی خانشیر، سما و دهشیری، غلامرضا. (1404). ویژگی‌های روان‌سنجی نسخۀ فارسی مقیاس فرسودگی والدینی - فرم کوتاه در والدین ایرانی. روانشناسی بالینی و شخصیت. 23(2)، 180-171. [link]
موسوی، سیده فاطمه. (1398). فرسودگی و خستگی ناشی‌از وظایف والدینی: نقش متغیرهای زمینه‌ای والد-فرزند. مطالعات ناتوانی، 9(1)، 123-132. [link]
Aguiar, J., Matias, M., Braz, A. C., César, F., Coimbra, S., Gaspar, M. F., & Fontaine, A. M. (2021). Parental burnout and the COVID‐19 pandemic: How Portuguese parents experienced lockdown measures. Family Relations, 70(4), 927-938. [link]
Aktu, Y. (2024). The role of parenting stress on parenting self-efficacy and parental burnout among Turkish parents: a moderated mediation model. BMC psychology, 12(1), 475. [link]
Alsanea, F. (2024). Challenging gender norms in parenting styles and their impact on children’s socialization and identity formation. The Scientific Temper, 15(02), 2018-2020. [link]

Aunola, K., Sorkkila, M., Tolvanen, A., Tassoul, A., Mikolajczak, M., & Roskam, I. (2021). Development and validation of the Brief Parental Burnout Scale (BPBS). Psychological Assessment, 33(11), 1125–1137. [link]
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman and Company. [link]
Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71–81). Academic Press.
Bingöl, H., Taşar, N., Bümen, Ş., & Günel, M. K. (2023). The relationship between emotional and behavioral problems, and parent-child interaction and parental self-efficacy in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy. Medical Science and Discovery, 10(6), 385-392. [link]
Bloomfield, L., & Kendall, S. (2012). Parenting self-efficacy, parenting stress and child behaviour before and after a parenting programme. Primary health care research & development, 13(4), 364–372. [link]
Boruszak-Kiziukiewicz, J., & Kmita, G. (2020). Parenting self-efficacy in immigrant families—A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 985. [link]
Chen, B.-B., Qu, Y., Yang, B., & Chen, X. (2022). Chinese mothers’ parental burnout and adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing problems: The mediating role of maternal hostility. Developmental psychology, 58(4), 768. [link]
Chen, J., & Nanakida, A. (2023). A Study on the Effect of Parenting Self-efficacy of Parents with Children Aged 3-6 on Parent-child Relationship. Journal for ReAttach Therapy and Developmental Diversities, 6(10), 414-424. [link]
Coleman, P. K., & Karraker, K. H. (2000). Parenting self-efficacy among mothers of school-age children: Conceptualization, measurement, and correlates. Family Relations, 49(1), 13–24. [link]
Crnic, K., & Ross, E. (2017). Parenting stress and parental efficacy.
In D. S. Deater-Deckard & K. A. Lansford (Eds.), Parental stress and early child development: Adaptive and maladaptive outcomes (pp. 263–284). Springer International Publishing. [link]
Driscoll, K., & Pianta, R. C. (2011). Mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of conflict and closeness in parent-child relationships during early childhood. Journal of Early Childhood and Infant Psychology, (7), 1–24. [link]
Dumka, L. E., Stoerzinger, H. D., Jackson, K. M., & Roosa, M. W. (1996). Examination of the Cross-Cultural and Cross-Language Equivalence of the Parenting Self-Agency Measure. Family Relations, 45(2), 216-222. [link]
Fang, Y., Boelens, M., Windhorst, D. A., Raat, H., & van Grieken, A. (2021). Factors associated with parenting self‐efficacy: A systematic review. Journal of advanced nursing, 77(6), 2641-2661. [link]
Fu, W., Li, R., Zhang, Y., & Huang, K. (2023). Parenting Stress and Parenting Efficacy of Parents Having Children with Disabilities in China: The Role of Social Support. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 2133. [link]
Gillis, A., & Roskam, I. (2019). Daily exhaustion and support in parenting: Impact on the quality of the parent–child relationship. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28, 2007-2016. [link]
Glatz, T., & Buchanan, C. M. (2015). Over-time associations among parental self-efficacy, promotive parenting practices, and adolescents’ externalizing behaviors. Journal of Family Psychology, 29(3), 427.‏ [link]
Hays, S. (1996). The cultural contradictions of motherhood. Yale University Press.
Jia-Yuan, Z., Yubin, C., Linghui, Z., Yuqiu, Z., & Xining, L. (2025). Parental burnout and parent–child relationship: the role of harsh parenting in couples. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 1-14. [link]
Lebert-Charron, A., Dorard, G., Boujut, E., & Wendland, J. (2018). Maternal burnout syndrome: Contextual and psychological associated factors. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 885. [link]
Li, Z., Luo, J., Song, F., Li, J., & Shen, Y. (2023). The relationship between parental burnout and children’s learning burnout: A moderated chain mediation model. Psychological Reports, 00332941231156810. [link]
Mak, M. C. K., Yin, L., Li, M., Cheung, R. Y.-h., & Oon, P.-T. (2020). The relation between parenting stress and child behavior problems: Negative parenting styles as mediator. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29, 2993-3003. [link]
Matias, M., Aguiar, J., César, F., Braz, A. C., Barham, E. J., Leme, V., Elias, L., Gaspar, M. F., Mikolajczak, M., & Roskam, I. (2020). The Brazilian–Portuguese version of the Parental Burnout Assessment: Transcultural adaptation and initial validity evidence. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2020(174), 67-83. [link]
Meeussen, L., & Van Laar, C. (2018). Feeling pressure to be a perfect mother relates to parental burnout and career ambitions. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2113. [link]
Mikolajczak, M., Brianda, M. E., Avalosse, H., & Roskam, I. (2018). Consequences of parental burnout: Its specific effect on child neglect and violence. Child abuse & neglect, 80, 134-145. [link]
Mikolajczak, M., Gross, J. J., & Roskam, I. (2019). Parental burnout: What is it, and why does it matter? Clinical Psychological Science, 7(6), 1319-1329. [link]
Mikolajczak, M., Gross, J. J., Stinglhamber, F., Lindahl Norberg, A., & Roskam, I. (2020). Is parental burnout distinct from job burnout and depressive symptoms? Clinical Psychological Science, 8(4), 673-689. [link]
Mikolajczak, M., & Roskam, I. (2018). A theoretical and clinical framework for parental burnout: The balance between risks and resources (BR2). Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 886. [link]
Pagorek-Eshel, S., & Dekel, R. (2015). Parental self-efficacy and paternal involvement in the context of political violence. Clinical Social Work Journal, 43, 388-397. [link]
Roskam, I., Aguiar, J., Akgun, E., Arikan, G., Artavia, M., Avalosse, H., Aunola, K., Bader, M., Bahati, C., & Barham, E. J. (2021). Parental burnout around the globe: A 42-country study. Affective science, 2(1), 58-79. [link]
Roskam, I., Brianda, M. E., & Mikolajczak, M. (2018). A Step Forward in the Conceptualization and Measurement of Parental Burnout: The Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA). Frontiers in psychology, 9, 758. [link]
Sabzi, N., Khosravi, Z., & Kalantar‐Hormozi, B. (2023). Parental burnout and depression among Iranian mothers: The mediating role of Maladaptive Coping modes. Brain and Behavior, 13(4), e2900. [link]
Sæther, K. M., Berg, R. C., Fagerlund, B. H., Glavin, K., & Jøranson, N. (2023). First‐time parents' experiences related to parental self‐efficacy: A scoping review. Research in Nursing & Health, 46(1), 101-112. [link]
Sarrionandia-Pena, A. (2019). Effect size of parental burnout on somatic symptoms and sleep disorders. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 88, 111-112.
Sanders, M. R., & Woolley, M. L. (2005). The relationship between maternal self‐efficacy and parenting practices: Implications for parent training. Child: care, health and development, 31(1), 65-73.‏ [link]
Seetharaman, M., Benjamin, A., McGrath, J. M., & Vance, A. J. (2022). Parenting self-efficacy instruments for parents of infants and toddlers: A review. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, 4, 100082. [link]
Sherafati Z, Mehryar A H, Khayyer M, Javidi H. (2020). Investigating the Relationship between Students' Personality Traits in Single-Child, Two-Child and Multiple-Child Families with Parent-Child Relationship. IEEPJ. 2(1), 24-32. [link]
Skjerdingstad, N., Johnson, M. S., Johnson, S. U., Hoffart, A., & Ebrahimi, O. V. (2022). Parental burnout during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Family Process, 61(4), 1715-1729. [link]
Swit, C. S., & Breen, R. (2023). Parenting During a Pandemic: Predictors of Parental Burnout. Journal of Family Issues, 44(7), 1817-1837. [link]
Wang, W., Liu, X., Wang, S., Li, Y., & Li, Y. (2023). Personality traits and parental burnout among fathers: A moderated mediation model. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32(6), 1655-1665. [link]
Yuan, Y., Wang, W., Song, T., & Li, Y. (2022). The mechanisms of parental burnout affecting adolescents’ problem behavior. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 15139. [link]
Zhang, H., Li, S., Wang, R., & Hu, Q. (2023). Parental burnout and adolescents’ academic burnout: Roles of parental harsh discipline, psychological distress, and gender. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1122986. [link]
Zhuo, R., Shi, X., & Wu, Y. (2022). Association between parent-child relationship and second-time mother’s prenatal depressive symptoms: The mediation role of parenting burnout. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(1), 491. [link]
Zou, R., Hong, X., Wei, G., Xu, X., & Yuan, J. (2022). Differential effects of optimism and pessimism on adolescents’ subjective well-being: mediating roles of reappraisal and acceptance. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(12), 7067. [link]