The affective dynamics of parenting: Inertia of emotional distance characterizes severe parental burnout

• DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/ekp49_v2
• Publication Date: 2025-03-26T15:47:10Z
• Authors: M. Annelise Blanc...; Margaret Lee Kerr; Heather Kirkorian; Rachel Barr; Yorgo Hoebeke; Alexandre Heeren
• Keywords: Dynamics

Our emotional trajectories make up our affective experience—but these can be disrupted during mental illness. This study focuses on affect anchored to the parenting context (i.e., daily exhaustion, distance from children, and feeling fed up) assess whether way fluctuates relates dysfunction: parental burnout severity. We focus three specific patterns dynamic indices): inertia persistence across days), variation magnitude of change), covariation variables fluctuate together). reanalyzed multiple datasets (from Belgium U.S.) yielding 180 parents who had rated their for either or eight weeks. computed a regression model with all indices as predictors (controlling mean levels), severity outcome variable. Results indicate that predicts most sensitivity models even varied operationalizations indices). No other temporal pattern covariation) robustly predicted severity, although levels exhaustion did. analyses emphasize operationalization choices yield varying values impact results.