The Relationship Between Parental Burnout and Parent-Child Interaction Quality and Child Abuse

Abstract

Background: Quality of parent-child interaction and its early experiences form the children's socio-cognitive and emotional development, while parental burnout is one of the factors that have negative effect on parent-child interactions and early childhood experiences and finally cause destructive behavioral problems like misbehaving with children in the family. Objectives: Accordingly, the present study aims to determine the relationship between parental burnout and the parent-child interaction and child abuse components. Methods: In this regard, 297 parents (mothers and fathers) along with 7 - 12 year old primary school students were selected from the community of parents of primary school children in Tabriz city; Parent-Child Relationship Scale (PCRS) by Pianta and Child Abuse Self-Report Scale by Mohammad Khani and Parental Burnout Scale by Roskam were used to measure the variables. Results: The results of regression analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between parental burnout and the components of parent-child interaction. They showed that the relationship between parental burnout and intimacy component is negative, while the relationship between parental burnout and conflict component is significant and positive. Conclusions: Therefore, it can be concluded that the parents' emotional status play a decisive role in forming the quality of their interaction with children, and parental burnout can have negative effects on the parent-child interaction quality.