May 8 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Societal pressure to be perfect is increasing parental distress and increasing the risk of children suffering from stress, anxiety and depression, a study revealed Wednesday.
Researchers at Ohio State University found that the pressure to try to be “perfect” leads to unhealthy effects on both parents and their children.
Their study, based on a month-long survey of more than 700 parents in the US, shows that 57 percent of parents self-report burnout.
The study defined that “parental burnout is strongly associated with internal and external expectations, including whether one feels they are a good parent, perceived judgment by others, Time to play with your children, relationship with your spouse and keeping a clean house.”
“The illusion and expectations of ‘perfect parenting’ can be underwhelming,” said Kate Gawlick, one of the lead researchers on the study and an associate clinical professor at Ohio State College of Nursing.
“I think social media has really tipped the scale. As parents we have higher expectations of ourselves; we have higher expectations of what our kids should do. Then, on the flip side, you Comparing yourself to other people and other people. Family, and there’s a lot of judgment that goes on and whether it’s intentional or not, it’s still there,” said Gawlick, who as a working mother of four children. Pursued this research based on my own experience.
In particular, parents’ mental health and behavior greatly influence their children’s mental health. If children have a mental health disorder, parents report a higher level of burnout and a greater likelihood of belittling, criticizing, yelling, cursing, and/or physically harming their children. is more likely (eg hitting repeatedly).
On the other hand, quality time spent with parents reduced children’s mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and bipolar disorder.
The study suggested that parents increase their contact with children and become active listeners as well as “catch, examine, and transform negative thoughts into positive ones; readjust expectations for parent and child; and reflect.” and acting on priorities”.