To feel rewarded as a parent: be compassionate with yourself

Abstract

Being a parent is associated with positive outcomes. However, aside from having a child, the predictors for such outcomes are scarcely studied in the literature. This study analyzes the association between self-compassion, parental stress, and parenting rewards (e.g., joy, happiness, and satisfaction derived from the role of parenting) in parents of children with and without disabilities aged 0-6. A total of 169 parents (69.8% fe-male; 26.03% caring for a child with a disability) completed a self-report questionnaire assessing levels of self-compassion, parental stress, and parenting rewards. A path model examined the effect of self-compassion on parenting rewards, mediated by parental stress and controlling for age and gender. Results suggest that higher levels of self-compassion are associated with higher levels of parenting rewards through lower levels of parental stress. Invariance analyses indicate that this relationship depends on whether the child has a disability. Specifically, a direct association between self-compassion and parenting rewards was identified only among parents caring for children without disabilities. The findings suggest that enhancing self-compassion in parents may reduce stress and, consequently, be linked to higher levels of joy, happiness, and satisfaction in the parental role. This supports self-compassion as a key factor in parenting and has clinical im-plications.