Big Five Personality Traits and Life Satisfaction as Predictors of Parental Burnout in Parents of Children With Central Auditory Processing Disorders.

BACKGROUND

Parents of children with central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) face stressors related to their children's communication and learning difficulties. Currently, no research has explored how personality traits influence burnout among parents of children with CAPD.

AIMS: This study investigated the relationships between parental burnout, the Big Five personality traits, and life satisfaction among parents of children with CAPD.

METHODS

There were 248 parents (197 mothers, 51 fathers) of children with CAPD (Mage = 11 years) who participated. We analyzed three subgroups of parents: those whose child only had CAPD; those whose child had CAPD and speech, language, or articulation disorders; and those whose child had CAPD accompanied by other severe health conditions. Parents completed the Parental Burnout Assessment, a Big Five personality questionnaire International Personality Item Pool-Big Five Markers-20, and rated their life satisfaction on a visual analog scale.

RESULTS

Parents of children with CAPD and additional health problems showed higher burnout levels than the general population. Protective factors against burnout included higher emotional stability, higher conscientiousness, and greater life satisfaction. Surprisingly, higher agreeableness and higher education predicted increased burnout. Fathers showed greater emotional distancing from their children than mothers.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychological interventions should be offered to parents of children with CAPD. Priority should be given to those parents with profiles associated with higher burnout risk: low in emotional stability (and/or conscientiousness), high in agreeableness, having received higher education, having a younger child, and having a child with CAPD and other additional health challenges.