Parental Burnout Among Mothers of Children with Special Needs: A Descriptive Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59890/ijeps.v3i4.77Keywords:
Parental Burnout, Emotional Exhaustion, Mothers, Children with Special NeedsAbstract
This study aimed to examine the levels and dimensions of parental burnout among mothers of children with special needs in Indonesia. Using a quantitative descriptive method, data were collected from 100 participants through the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA). Descriptive analysis showed that most mothers experienced low to moderate burnout, with emotional exhaustion as the most prominent dimension, followed by emotional distancing. These findings highlight the psychological vulnerability of caregiving mothers and underscore the importance of interventions targeting emotional fatigue and strengthening parent–child connection.
References
Abidin, F. A., Fitriana, E., Anindhita, V., Agustiani, H., Fadilah, S. H., & Purba, F. D. (2024). Parental burnout assessment: Validation in Indonesian parents. Mental Health & Prevention, 36, 200372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2024.200372
Dzielińska, M., Lasota, M., & Piotrowski, K. (2024). Parental burnout among parents of children with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Psychologia Rozwojowa (Developmental Psychology), 28(2), 135–152. https://doi.org/10.4467/20843879PR.23.021.19914
Hidayah, N., Suyadi, & Akbar, S. A. (2023). Pendidikan inklusi dan anak berkebutuhan khusus. Universitas Ahmad Dahlan Press.
Hubert, S., & Aujoulat, I. (2018). Parental burnout: When exhausted mothers open up. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 1021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01021
Kahrıman, İ., Polat, S., & Gürol, A. (2019). Determination of perceived social support and burnout levels of mothers of children with intellectual disability. Journal of Pediatric Research, 6(4), 266–279. https://doi.org/10.4274/jpr.galenos.2019.86648
Kristiana, I. F., & Widayanti, C. G. (2023). Psikologi anak berkebutuhan khusus. Universitas Diponegoro.
Lin, G. X., Szczygieł, D., & Blanchard, M. A. (2025). The interplay between parental perfectionism, emotional intelligence, and parental burnout. Personality and Individual Differences, 240, 113148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113148
Mahanani, F. K., Pratiwi, P. E., Hidayat, D. P., & Salsabila, M. N. (2024). Exploring parental burnout in Indonesian context: Adaptation, comparison, and implications. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 30(6), 3115–3121. https://doi.org/10.53555/kuey.v30i6.6001
Masefield, S. C., Prady, S. L., Sheldon, T. A., Small, N., Jarvis, S., & Pickett, K. E. (2020).
The caregiver health effects of caring for young children with developmental disabilities: A meta-analysis. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 24(5), 561–574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-020-02896-5
Mikolajczak, M., Gross, J. J., & Roskam, I. (2019). Parental burnout: What is it, and why does it matter? Clinical Psychological Science, 7(6), 1319–1329. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702619858430
Mikolajczak, M., Raes, M. E., Avalosse, H., & Roskam, I. (2018). Exhausted parents: Sociodemographic, child-related, parent-related, parenting, and family-functioning correlates of parental burnout. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27(2), 602–614. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0892-4
Miranda, D. (2013). Strategi coping dan kelelahan emosional (emotional exhaustion) pada ibu yang memiliki anak berkebutuhan khusus. Psikoborneo: Jurnal Ilmiah Psikologi, 1(2), 64–71.
Parathugari, C., & Sekhar, S. F. C. (2021). Burnout among parents of children with special needs: A study based on the mothers’ and children’s background. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts, 9(11), 544–554. Retrieved from https://ijcrt.org/viewfull.php?&p_id=IJCRT2111061
Prasetyanti, A. A., & Widayat, I. W. (2024). Parental burnout in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Buletin Riset Psikologi dan Kesehatan Mental, 4(1), 30–46. https://doi.org/10.20473/brpkm.v4i1.57960
Raychana, R., Ayunda, V. P., Pramesti, A. D. A., Nurwahyudi, P., & Farisandy, E. D. (2024). Kenapa duniaku begitu melelahkan? Mengungkap parental burnout ibu rumah tangga dengan anak autism spectrum disorder. Personifikasi: Jurnal Ilmu Psikologi, 15(2), 118–137. https://doi.org/10.21107/personifikasi.v15i2.24014
Roskam, I., Aguiar, J., Akgun, E., Arikan, G., Artavia, M., Avalosse, H., Aunola, K., Bader, M., Bahati, C., Barham, E. J., Besson, E., Beyers, W., Boujut, E., Brianda, M. E., Brytek-Matera, A., Carbonneau, N., César, F., Chen, B.-B., Dorard, G., ... Mikolajczak, M. (2021). Parental burnout around the globe: A 42-country study. Affective Science, 2(1), 58–79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-020-00028-4
Roskam, I., Bayot, M., & Mikolajczak, M. (2022). Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA). In O. N. Medvedev et al. (Eds.), Handbook of assessment in mindfulness research. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77644-2_81-1
Super, C. M., & Harkness, S. (2020). Research on parental burnout across cultures: Steps toward global understanding. Child & Adolescent Development, 2020(185–192). https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20389
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Laila Husna Nst Laila, Raras Sutatminingsih, Rahma Fauzia

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.





