Maber, Ashley (2024) Parents’ Mental Load: The Development and Piloting of a Preliminary Self-Report Scale. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Research suggests that many parents are stressed, fatigued and burdened by their mental load. Despite growing literature on parental mental load, reliable and valid quantitative tools to assess parents’ mental load are scarce. To provide parents with efficacious support, there is a need for nuanced and psychometrically sound measures that assess parents’ experience. The broad aim of this project was to develop new knowledge around Australian parents' mental load, and how mental load contributes to parents’ burnout. In particular, this study sought to develop and pilot the Parental Mental Load Scale (PMLS) in a sample of Australian parents of at least one child aged 0-18 years (N = 324). A second aim was to examine whether parents’ mental load was associated with parental burnout. Finally, the current research aimed to explore whether parents’ experience of the mental load was impacted by family and socio demographic variables. The project was a quantitative, cross-sectional questionnaire study, that utilised convenience sampling. Results indicated that the PMLS possesses good reliability and validity and is positively associated with parents’ experience of burnout. Further, parental mental load appears shaped by family and socio-demographic factors, including parents’ gender, and children’s health needs. Overall, findings suggest Australian parents, especially mothers, experience significant mental load, which has important implications for their wellbeing. Future research should prioritise continued efforts to validate quantitative tools to assess parents’ mental load. Supporting a balanced distribution of responsibilities among families appears essential for easing parents’ mental load and enhancing their quality of life.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Wellbeing (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Dr. Richardson, Meg |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Psychology) |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Jan 2026 06:48 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Jan 2026 06:48 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | mental load, parental burnout, parents, self-report measure |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170106 Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5203 Clinical and health psychology > 520304 Health psychology |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53100 |
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