BACKGROUND: Parental burnout has emerged as a pressing public health concern, particularly in cultural contexts where mothers are expected to invest heavily in childcare and educational responsibilities. Yet little is known about the psychological correlates of maternal burnout in non-Western settings. Guided by social comparison theory and the balance between risks and resources framework, this study examined how social comparison is associated with maternal burnout through parenting stress, parenting sense of competence, and perceived social support. METHODS: A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed. A total of 493 Chinese mothers participated in the survey (M = 41.41 years, SD = 6.76). Standardized instruments were used to assess social comparison, parental stress, parenting sense of competence, perceived social support, and parental burnout. Data were collected via self-report questionnaires, and structural equation modeling was applied to test the hypothesized moderated chain mediation model. RESULTS: Social comparison was positively associated with maternal burnout. This association was linked to variations in parental stress and parenting sense of competence, both independently and sequentially. In addition, perceived social support moderated the association between parenting competence and maternal burnout, with higher perceived social support being associated with a weaker relationship between lower competence and burnout. CONCLUSION: These findings extend theoretical accounts of maternal burnout by integrating risk and resource perspectives and by providing cross-cultural evidence from the Chinese context. They underscore the importance of fostering supportive and less competitive parenting environments and highlight the potential value of strengthening social support and psychological resources in relation to maternal burnout.
Sun et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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