Schittek Alice, Roskam Isabelle, Mikolajczak Moira
Department of Psychology, UCLouvain, Place Cardinal Mercier 10, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Children (Basel). 2023 Oct 19;10(10):1704. doi: 10.3390/children10101704.
Past research has shown that perfectionistic strivings (PS) and perfectionistic concerns (PC) in the parenting domain are associated with an increase in parental burnout (PB), and that PB causally increases violence towards one's offspring. One may therefore wonder whether parenting perfectionism may ironically increase violence towards one's offspring.
To the best of our knowledge, no study has ever investigated whether perfectionism (PS and PC) predicts violence towards one's offspring, or whether PB could explain this link. In the current pre-registered cross-lagged study, we hypothesized that an increase in PS and PC would lead to an increase in violence via an increase in PB.
228 participants responded to a longitudinal online survey, with three measurement occasions spaced 2 months apart.
Contrary to expectations, cross-lagged path models revealed that violence towards the offspring prospectively predicted an increase in PS and PC. Mediation models showed that PB was not a significant mediator. Results of all models did not change when controlling for social desirability.
The present study shows that violence towards the offspring increases the risk of PS and PC in parents. Results are discussed in light of the feeling of guilt experienced by parents.
Current worries that parenting perfectionism may paradoxically increase violence appear to be unwarranted at this stage. Moreover, correlation is not causation; thus, emphasizing caution before coming to clinically and societally relevant conclusions in cross-sectional studies. Thus, the PB and child maltreatment literature should slowly shift to using more longitudinal and causal designs.
过去的研究表明，育儿领域中的完美主义追求（PS）和完美主义担忧（PC）与父母倦怠（PB）的增加有关，且父母倦怠会因果性地增加对子女的暴力行为。因此，人们可能会想，育儿完美主义是否会具有讽刺意味地增加对子女的暴力行为。
据我们所知，尚无研究调查过完美主义（PS和PC）是否能预测对子女的暴力行为，或者父母倦怠是否能解释这种联系。在当前这项预先注册的交叉滞后研究中，我们假设PS和PC的增加会通过父母倦怠的增加导致暴力行为的增加。
228名参与者回应了一项纵向在线调查，有三次测量，测量间隔为2个月。
与预期相反，交叉滞后路径模型显示，对子女的暴力行为前瞻性地预测了PS和PC的增加。中介模型表明，父母倦怠不是一个显著的中介因素。在控制社会期望时，所有模型的结果都没有改变。
本研究表明，对子女的暴力行为会增加父母出现PS和PC的风险。根据父母所体验到的内疚感对结果进行了讨论。
目前认为育儿完美主义可能会自相矛盾地增加暴力行为的担忧在现阶段似乎是没有根据的。此外，相关并不意味着因果关系；因此，在横断面研究中得出与临床和社会相关的结论之前要强调谨慎。因此，关于父母倦怠和儿童虐待的文献应逐渐转向使用更多的纵向和因果设计。
