The Power of Emotional Empathy in Preventing Motherly Burnout
Two studies have found that maternal emotional empathy acts as a protective factor against parental burnout, particularly for mothers of children prone to negative emotions. The studies examined the association between a child's negative emotionality, maternal empathy, and parental burnout. The results showed that mothers with low empathic concern and high personal distress were more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and burnout. On the other hand, mothers with higher levels of empathic concern were less likely to experience burnout. The findings highlight the importance of empathy in mother-child relationships and suggest that interventions focusing on increasing maternal empathy could help alleviate parental stress.