Feeling the Same Strain? A Cross-Sectional Comparison Study of Fathers’ Versus Mothers’ Parenting Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background/Objectives: Parenting stress is associated with parent and child mental health problems and has increased since the beginning of COVID-19. Research on paternal parenting stress is sparse—even if family models are changing increasingly with fathers being more strongly involved in caregiving for their children. This study investigated (1) overall parenting stress levels and specific parenting stress subscales in fathers with young children in comparison to mothers and (2) potential influencing factors on fathers’ and mothers’ parenting stress during the pandemic. Methods: In a cross-sectional online study, N = 368 parents (50.00% fathers) of children (0–3 years) filled out the German version of the Parenting Stress Index (EBI) and answered questions on sociodemographic and pandemic-related factors. Results: Fathers were 36.17 years (SD = 5.21) and mothers 33.65 years (SD = 4.39) old and 67.50% had a high educational background. Children (45.38% female) were 16.34 months (SD = 11.66) old. There was no significant group difference between fathers’ and mothers’ overall parenting stress (p = 0.39). Parenting stress scores in the attachment subscale were significantly higher in fathers (p < 0.001, r = 0.19). An increase in family conflicts during the pandemic had the highest impact on both paternal (ß = 0.45) and maternal (ß = 0.35) parenting stress. Conclusions: Parenting stress was equally high for fathers and mothers during the COVID-19 crisis, indicating a levelling of pre-pandemic differences due to pandemic-related factors. Future support measures should focus on reducing family conflicts and on strengthening fathers’ attachment to their child.