TY - JOUR
T1 - Occupational balance in parents of pre-school children
T2 - Potential differences between mothers and fathers
AU - Uthede, Sara
AU - Nilsson, Ida
AU - Wagman, Petra
AU - Håkansson, Carita
AU - Farias, Lisette
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Background: Parents of young children are a vulnerable group with an increased risk of stress-related health problems compared to adults without children. Low occupational balance has been identified as a risk factor for stress-related disorders. Aim: The study aimed to describe occupational balance in parents of pre-school children and to explore potential differences between mothers and fathers. Method: Data were collected by a web-based survey based on the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ11). A total of 302 working parents (200 mothers and 102 fathers) with at least one child under seven years of age were included in the study. Findings: Mothers reported lower occupational balance than fathers with a median value of 10 for mothers and 12 for fathers (p = 0.029). Mothers rated significantly lower than fathers in three items; ‘Balance between work, home, family, leisure, rest and sleep’, ‘Having sufficient time for doing obligatory occupations’ and ‘Balance between doing things for others and for oneself’. Conclusion: The results indicate that caring for pre-school children may negatively impact both parents, impacting mothers’ occupational balance to a greater degree. Significance: Occupational therapists’ knowledge could be utilised to increase awareness of the importance of occupational balance within health services and improve mothers’ occupational balance.
AB - Background: Parents of young children are a vulnerable group with an increased risk of stress-related health problems compared to adults without children. Low occupational balance has been identified as a risk factor for stress-related disorders. Aim: The study aimed to describe occupational balance in parents of pre-school children and to explore potential differences between mothers and fathers. Method: Data were collected by a web-based survey based on the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ11). A total of 302 working parents (200 mothers and 102 fathers) with at least one child under seven years of age were included in the study. Findings: Mothers reported lower occupational balance than fathers with a median value of 10 for mothers and 12 for fathers (p = 0.029). Mothers rated significantly lower than fathers in three items; ‘Balance between work, home, family, leisure, rest and sleep’, ‘Having sufficient time for doing obligatory occupations’ and ‘Balance between doing things for others and for oneself’. Conclusion: The results indicate that caring for pre-school children may negatively impact both parents, impacting mothers’ occupational balance to a greater degree. Significance: Occupational therapists’ knowledge could be utilised to increase awareness of the importance of occupational balance within health services and improve mothers’ occupational balance.
KW - Cross-sectional study
KW - occupational balance questionnaire (OBQ11)
KW - working parents in Sweden
U2 - 10.1080/11038128.2022.2046154
DO - 10.1080/11038128.2022.2046154
M3 - Article
C2 - 35254198
AN - SCOPUS:85126222423
SN - 1103-8128
VL - 30
SP - 1199
EP - 1208
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy
IS - 8
ER -