Exhausted parents in Japan: Preliminary validation of the Japanese version of the Parental Burnout Assessment

New Dir Child Adolesc Dev. 2020 Nov;2020(174):33-49. doi: 10.1002/cad.20371. Epub 2020 Oct 7.

Abstract

We examined the factorial structure and validity of a Japanese version of the Parental Burnout Assessment, the PBA-J, with 1,500 Japanese parents. The Parental Burnout Assessment measures burnout using four dimensions: exhaustion in one's parental role, contrast in parental self, feelings of being fed up, and emotional distancing. Confirmatory factor analysis on the PBA-J supported a four-factor model. Multiple-group structural equation modeling with parent participants was supported for the factor-loading invariance model. Mothers had higher parental burnout scores than fathers. We found moderate-to-strong correlation coefficients between the PBA-J and the Parental Burnout Inventory (PBI-J; the comparative burnout measure), and weak-to-moderate correlation coefficients between the PBA-J and job burnout, neuroticism, co-parenting disagreement, and family disorganization. The PBA-J was correlated with parental perfectionism, particularly with concern over mistakes rather than sociodemographic variables. Overall, our findings provide initial evidence for the validity of the PBA-J.

Keywords: job burnout; parental burnout; parenting; perfectionism; questionnaire.

MeSH terms

  • Burnout, Psychological*
  • Emotions
  • Humans
  • Japan
  • Parenting
  • Parents*