The Relationship of Parental Flow and Stress to Adaptive Resources: An Experience Sampling Study

Stress occurs when there are not enough resources to deal with the demands of a situation. However, when one finds sufficient resources to meet the demands, it can lead to experiencing flow, or the state of complete absorption and enjoyment. Testing this demand and resources perspective, the current study examined whether parents’ experiences of real-time flow and stress in their daily lives are associated with specific adaptive resources – self-compassion, perceived capacity to engage in one’s activities, and perceived opportunity for personal leisure. Over a seven-day experience sampling study, we collected 1,478 responses from 48 participants ( M age = 40.46, SD = 14.20, 65.3% female), including 723 responses from 24 parents ( M age = 43.75, SD = 12.62, 87.5% female). Our results aligned with theory; however, only fluctuations in perceived capacity and momentary flow varied by parental status. Parents’ flow was significantly higher during parenting activities, such as interactions with the child and childcare routines, than during other daily activities, underscoring the important relationship of parent-child interaction to parental well-being.