Parental Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Risk Factors and Predictors

The present study seeks to investigate the levels of parental burnout in the general parental population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parental burnout is measured three months following (T2) the initiated viral mitigation protocols in Norway, a period where schools and kindergartens were closed, involving a period of home isolation for parents with their children. The burden of parents during this period is thought to have increased, as they were expected to conduct their own work virtually where possible, while at the same time acting as teachers for their children. The study aims to investigate the level of burnout among parents after months of viral mitigation strategies involved in the pandemic, in addition to predictors of parental burnout measured at (T1) are associated with parental burnout after three months (T2). Hypothesis and research question: Research Question 1: What is the level of parental burnout in the general parental population three months following initiated viral mitigation protocols (i.e., physical distancing) as compared to other similar pre-pandemic samples? Hypothesis 1: Parental burnout will be higher in the present sample three months into the pandemic as compared to similar pre-pandemic samples in similar populations. Hypothesis 2: Levels of parental stress, parental satisfaction, general self-efficacy, positive metacognitions, negative metacognitions, unhelpful coping strategies, marital quality and insomnia, all at T2 will significantly predict levels of parental burnout at T2. Exploratory: Do the predictors parental stress, parental satisfaction, general self-efficacy, positive metacognitions, negative metacognitions, unhelpful coping strategies, all at baseline (T1), predict parental burnout at T2, beyond and above these same aforementioned predictors at T2 and pre-existing mental health condition, age, gender, and education? Exploratory: Levels of parental burnout will be explored across subgroups in the sample.