To feel rewarded as a parent: be compassionate with yourself

Abstract

Being a parent is associated with positive outcomes. However, aside from having a child, the predictors for such outcomes are scarcely studied in the literature. This study analyzes the association between selfcompassion, parental stress, and parenting rewards (eg, joy, happiness, and satisfaction derived from the role of parenting) in parents of children with and without disabilities aged 0-6. A total of 169 parents (69.8% female; 26.03% caring for a child with a disability) completed a self-report questionnaire assessing levels of self-compassion, parental stress, and parenting rewards. A path model examined the effect of self-compassion on parenting rewards, mediated by parental stress and controlling for age and gender. Results suggest that higher levels of self-compassion are associated with higher levels of parenting rewards through lower levels of parental stress. Invariance analyses indicate that this relationship depends on whether the child has a disability. Specifically, a direct association between self-compassion and parenting rewards was identified only among parents caring for children without disabilities. The findings suggest that enhancing self-compassion in parents may reduce stress and, consequently, be linked to higher levels of joy, happiness, and satisfaction in the parental role. This supports self-compassion as a key factor in parenting and has clinical implications.