Burnout and parental emotional regulation strategies: A study in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic in Chile

COVID-19 has affected the population's mental health, increasing the risk of parental burnout (Griffith, 2020), defined as a syndrome resulting from long-term exposure to chronic stress of parents in their role as caregivers (Mikolajczak et al. 2019). This phenomenon can have serious implications for the upbringing and normal development of children and adolescents, since it affects multiple areas of parental functioning, as well as damage the bond they maintain with their children (Mikolajczak et al, 2018). This study included 693 participants, collected through a non-random sample that included 133 fathers and 560 mothers over 18 years of age who currently live in Chile, living with at least one child. Linear regressions were performed to understand the relationship between parental burnout-measured using the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA)-and the perceived negative impact of the pandemic on parenting practices; the role of emotional regulation strategies of suppression and reappraisal-measured through the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)-; and gender. Higher levels of parental burnout were found in mothers, who reported a greater negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis, using more suppression strategies and less reappraisal.