Dads who WFH during pandemic had more parenting stress: study

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Dads who worked from home during the pandemic were more than twice as likely to suffer higher parenting stress, according to a new study.

Researchers found that 40 percent of moms and dads who worked remotely during the pandemic reported higher parenting stress compared with only 27 percent of those parents who worked on-site.

The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, revealed a gender difference - fathers who worked from home were twice as likely to report that parenting was stressful all or most of the time compared to fathers who worked onsite.

Parenting stress for mothers who worked at home was slightly higher - but did not reach "statistical significance," according to the American study.

The research, involving 1,060 moms and dads from all 77 neighborhoods in Chicago, found no differences in mental or general health between parents who worked remotely or onsite.

Study lead author Dr. John James Parker said: “Our survey results show that teleworking during the pandemic was associated with more parenting stress, especially for fathers.

“This might be a reflection of societal expectations that men should prioritize work obligations over family needs, which creates additional stress for fathers working from home."

Dr. Parker, Assistant Professor of Paediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said: "We recommend that parents reflect on their family and work situation and try to find an arrangement that limits stress and promotes well-being.

"This can be as simple as putting a noise canceling machine in the workspace, rearranging schedules to limit distractions and planning time for parents to step away from work to be fully engaged with their children."

He added: “Employers could provide support to fathers by offering more flexibility and recognizing that both parents need more work/life balance.

"Employers also could encourage parents who work from home, especially men, to take advantage of employee assistance programs if they are experiencing high levels of stress.

“This is important since parents’ stress is linked to negative parental health and child developmental outcomes.”