BC Council for Families

Feeling stressed out? Overloaded at work? Watch out – it could be contagious. Parents who are suffering from burnout are more likely to have children who are feeling burnout at school, according to recent research conducted in Finland.

The study, Parents' work burnout and adolescents' school burnout: Are they shared?, currently in press at the European Journal of Developmental Psychology, surveyed more than 500 15 year olds, asking them about symptoms such as fatigue, feelings of cynicism about school, and sense of inadequacy as students. 595 parents of these adolescents were surveyed to assess their degree of work burnout. The results showed that experiences of burnout were shared in families.

"Experiences of burnout were shared most particularly between adolescents and parents of the same gender, i.e. between daughters and mothers and between sons and fathers. The parent of the same gender seems to serve as a role model for the development of burnout," says Professor Katariina Salmela-Aro, who led the research.

When parents are able to avoid burnout themselves, they’re better able to support their kids emotionally. For families facing acute financial stress, avoiding burnout can be tough though. Employers and governments can provide valuable relief to busy families by taking care of the health and well-being of parents through policies that support family concerns.