15 years of parental burnout research : Systematic review and agenda

Parental burnout (PB), an exhaustion disorder related to parenting, is receiving increasing attention. This paper aims to take stock of the findings accumulated about PB over the last 15 years. We review and organize the literature around four questions: (1) What is parental burnout? (2) which factors are associated with an increased risk of PB? (3) What are the consequences of PB? (4) What are the current treatment options? In order to answer these questions, the paper includes a correlational meta-analysis (k = 49, Ntotal = 35,170) of all empirical studies published on PB up to July 2021. In the last part of the paper, we provide a roadmap for future research by pinpointing particularly promising paths and methodological improvements needed to draw stronger conclusions