Measuring Change in Parental Burnout: Validation of the Parental Burnout Change Assessment (PBCA)

Details

Supervisors

Roskam, Isabelle ; Gaspar, Maria Filomena

Faculty

Faculté de psychologie, logopédie, sexologie et des sciences de la famille

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences de la famille et de la sexualité, à finalité spécialisée: approche interdisciplinaire de la famille et du couple

Abstract

enSo far, change in parental burnout (PB) levels has been measured by comparing data obtained at two or more time-points. However, this type of measurement is not possible if researchers are interested in the impact of an unforeseen event on PB (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic), nor is it always adapted to clinical use. In this longitudinal study we aimed to validate the Parental Burnout Change Assessment (PBCA), previously designed as a direct measure of change. In a sample of 156 English-speaking parents, we determined criterion-related validity by computing correlations between the PBCA and the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA) difference scores (i.e., an indirect measure of change). To determine convergent validity, we computed correlations between the PBCA and several constructs empirically known for their association to PB (e.g., parental neglect, parental violence, neuroticism, life satisfaction etc.). The results do not support most of our hypotheses, suggesting that the PBCA, in its present form, may not be a valid direct measure of change in parental burnout. Specifically, the correlation between the PBCA and PBA difference scores was very low and non-significant. Several limitations are discussed, leading to suggestions for future research.