What is caregiver stress? Caregiver stress is the distress experienced by someone responsible for the care and/or upbringing of children when the caregiving demands overwhelm or exceed one’s capacity to meet those demands (Deater-Deckard, 1998). (Note: this term is commonly referred to as “parental stress”. However, we recognize that there are many important adults responsible for rearing children that may not identify as the child’s legal or biological parent. Our aim is to create content that is inclusive of the many ways individuals form families and units of care.)
Who experiences caregiver stress? Caregiver stress is particularly common in first-time parents and caregivers, as one has yet to create strategies and routines for handling the novel situations one faces when caring for a child. The ability to trust one’s efficacy as a caregiver may be low from lack of experience, and this may produce feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, or sadness (Bloomfield & Kendall, 2012). Caregiver stress is not just for new parents, however. In fact, studies that evaluate the wellbeing of people with children in the home indicate that parents and other people caring for children at all stages exhibit higher levels of stress than their peers who do not have children (Deaton & Stone, 2014). (The same studies reveal that, aside from stress, overall wellbeing is pretty equal between those caring for children and those who do not care for children, so don’t fret!)
How does caregiver stress relate to child development? Caregiver stress can negatively impact behavior, particularly one’s ability to be attentive to the needs of children, the likelihood to react with anger, and the capacity to be emotionally available to children (Abidin, 1986). Such negative caregiving behavior is associated with more problem behaviors in children. For young children, this may look like regular tantrums or sleep issues (which, in turn, puts more stress on caregivers); for older children, this can turn into both externalizing and internalizing behaviors such as aggression, anxiety, or depression. These can impact not only the psychosocial development of the child, but physical and cognitive development, as well.
What is one way to cope with caregiver stress? There are a number of ways to cope with caregiver stress that we will touch on in this blog over the next few weeks and months. As a starting point, caregiver self-efficacy can be a buffer from caregiver stress (Raikes & Thompson, 2005). Caregiver self-efficacy refers to an individual’s appraisal of their competence in caregiving activities and expectations (Jones & Prinz, 2005). In other words, it is the self-perception of whether or not one is good at their job of being a caregiver. Caregiver self-efficacy has been shown to be a determinant of caregiving behaviors, and is thus closely related to child development outcomes and psychosocial adjustment (Coleman & Karraker, 2003). Those who have high caregiver self-efficacy, or the belief that they have the sufficient skills to meet the demands of caregiving, are better able to manage anxiety and stress and persevere in positive caregiving behaviors (Chau & Giallo, 2015).
Increasing caregiver self-efficacy
A growth perspective. One facet of a healthy caregiver self-efficacy is the perspective that one’s self-efficacy is not a fixed trait, meaning that one’s competence and perception of competence regularly will experience ups and downs, depending on the situational demands and one’s growth as a caregiver (Sevigny & Loutzenhiser, 2009). Therefore, if you are feeling low about your skills to provide a child with what it needs, remember that this is just a temporary moment in time. Your ability to grow and learn as a caregiver likely will improve throughout your journey. Also remember that while you may feel terrible about your ability to, say, regulate a child’s emotions during a tantrum, you probably have other areas where you are quite skilled (perhaps you’re a pro at making baby food or getting a child down for nap time).
Supportive others. Lastly, caregiving is not about being perfect. Despite the shiny social media accounts that make caregiving appear seamless and joyful, caregiving is a messy endeavor full of mistakes and learning moments. That is why we need others to walk alongside us in this journey. So rather than comparing yourself to others who seem more perfect at caregiving, nurture relationships with other adults, especially partners, who can give you quality support (both emotional and practical) during this time period. Social support is not only incredibly important for our general wellbeing, it is one of the key components to caregiver self-efficacy (Holloway et al., 2005).
Therefore, hold your abilities with a sense of grace, gather others around you to support you in the highs and lows of caregiving, and enjoy the ride!