Parenting stress arises from the interaction between parents and their life demands related to parenthood. It can cause psychological and physiological distress for parents. Common sources of parenting stress include the child's temperament and behaviors, lack of social support, financial difficulties, and work-life imbalance. Perceptions of being unable to cope with parenting demands significantly contribute to stress levels. Mindfulness practices can help parents manage stress by cultivating non-judgmental awareness of thoughts and emotions.

2. INTRODUCTION
• We toss the word “stress” around every day, but
what does stress really mean to you?
• Latin word "stringere" which means hardship.
• Often used to denote tension or anxiety.

3. DEFINITION OF STRESS
• Non-specific responses of the body to any demand
• A complex and dynamic process of interaction
between a persons & their life.
• Parenting stress: A set of processes that lead to
aversive psychological and physiological reactions
arising from attempts to adapt to the demands of
parenthood.

4. Morning Stress Exercise
It’s 8:20. The children have to be at school at 8:30. You’ve
already gotten a warning from the principal that your daughter
has been late too often. Your daughter is taking her time, doing
her hair and changing her clothes again. “Come on now, hurry
up or we’ll be late” you say, several times, but she does not
come down from her room. You walk into your child’s room,
urging her to come, but she throws herself on the floor
screaming: “I’m not going to school!”
Being Mode Versus Doing Mode

5. Common features across working definitions
• Definitions vary depending on the discipline
1. Personal experience
2. Caused by pressure or demands that exceed
resources
3. Impacts upon the individual’s ability to cope or, at
least, his/her perception of that ability: How one
copes with those demands?

6. Stress is Complex
1. Stressors (stress events or situations),
2. Distorted stressful appraisals,
3. Physiological arousal,
4. Medical and emotional distress,
5. Reduced psychological functioning,
6. Coping deficiencies

7. Types of Stress
Acute (immediate): A one-time incident that usually
comes and goes quickly. Its effect on us can last from
minutes or hours to days or weeks.
– Narrowly avoiding an automobile crash, or a violent incident
with someone.
Chronic: Caused by a continuing string of stressful
incidences, or an ongoing situation.
– Difficult job environment, caring for someone with a chronic
disease, or a state of loneliness & parenting .

8.  Physical Environment
 Social Interaction
 Organizational
 Major life events
 Daily Hassles
EXTERNAL STRESSORS

9.  Negative self talk: self criticism, pessimistic
thinking, depressive rumination etc.
 Dysfunctional thinking: unrealistic expectations,
personalization, all or none thinking, rigid rules
etc.
 Personality traits: perfectionism, sensitiveness to
criticism etc.
INTERNAL STRESSORS

10.  Worry
 Anxiety
 Depression
 Anger
 Elated
 Frightened
 Tired
 Tense
FEELINGS AS STRESSOR

11. Transactional Model
• Interpretation of stressful events is more important
than the events themselves.
• It is neither the environmental event nor the
person’s response that defines stress.
• It is the individual’s perception of the psychological
situation that defines stress.
• Stress is a function of the person’s feeling of threat,
vulnerability, and ability to cope rather than a
function of the stressor (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984).

12. Theories of Parenting Stress:
Parent child relationship stress
• Parent domain: Aspects of parenting stress that arise
from within the parent (depression, anxiety).
• Child domain: Aspects of parenting stress that arise
from the child’s behavior (behavioral problems).
• Parent child relationship: Aspects of parenting stress
that arise within the parent-child relationship
(degree of conflict in the parent-child relationship).

13. • Parenting stress, in turn, cause deteriorations in
many aspects of the quality & effectiveness of
parenting behavior.
• Leading to decreases in expressions of warmth &
affection, increases in harsh methods of discipline &
expressions of hostility toward the child, less
consistency in parenting behavior, or complete
withdrawal from the parenting role.
• Bi-directional effect
Parent child relationship stress

14. Daily Hassles Theory
• Typical stress arises for most parents on a
daily or weekly basis.
• Parents must learn to cope with the day-to-
day stressors of child rearing.

16. Evaluating Stress
• What causes stress for one person may cause little
or no stress for someone else.
• That's because a large part of stress is a matter of
perception.
• A doctor may measure some of the physical results
of stress, but only you can decide what you find
stressful and how you react to stress.

17. Ask Yourself…………?
What factors, such as life cycle transitions or changes,
may be contributing to my stress levels?
– A major cause of stress is the need to adapt to
change.
– Have you entered a new relationship?
– Have you a child with behavioral problem?

18. Ask Yourself…………?
What job, family, or personal stress do I have?
– Is there a problem in your family or in a relationship?
– Is there a chronic disease in your family?
– Are your children or teens under stress?
– How do you feel about your job?
– If something is not going well and you are not satisfied,
it is probably causing stress?

19. Ask Yourself…………?
• Do I have enough time?
Stress is often caused by time mismanagement; if you find
yourself with little time to do the things you want and
need to do, you are probably under stress.
• Does my lifestyle affect my ability to cope with stress?
• Do I have any signs of stress? How often, how
• intensely, and for how long you experience the signs
• of stress.

20. Ask Yourself…?
• How am I coping with stress? Observe your actions &
behavior.
– If you find yourself talking about a problem or jumping
into an activity to help you forget something, or
criticizing yourself, yelling at family or friends, or
drinking alcohol & smoking, it may mean you are
stressed.
• Identifying negative coping strategies can help you
identify and evaluate your stress.

21. 1. The enormous resources required to raise a human
child to maturity.
2. The difference in modern family environment
compared to the environment in which we evolved
(Shared Care). Humans are cooperative breeding
species.
• Evolution of Affect Regulation Systems: Threat, drive,
& contentment (Automatic reactivity in parenting
situations Vs non-reactive awareness).
SOURCES OF PARENTING STRESS

22. Perception, Cognition, Emotion & Physiology
• Interconnected & operate in transactions that
include bi-directional influences between:
– The person and the environment,
– The persons & their attempts to cope with stress,
– The environment & coping strategies (Aldwin,
1994).

23. Appraisal of a stressor
1. Valence (how aversive is it?)
2. Controllability (can I modify it or make it go away?)
3. Changeability (will it go away on its own?)
4. Ambiguity (what is going to happen?)
5. Likelihood that the stressor will reoccur
6. Familiarity with the stressful situation

24. TEMPERAMENT AND PERSONALITY OF A
PARENTS AND STRESS

25. SELF-REFERENT SOCIAL COGNITIONS OF PARENTS
• Self-efficacy: “I” can accomplish the goals that I set.
• Self esteem: “I” am worth while & valuable to others.
• Positive Vs negative expected outcomes.
• Rumination and worrying

26. Parenting Stress and the Child
• Prematurity and low birth weight
• Child illness
• Developmental disabilities and disorders
• Behavioral and emotional problems
• Diagnosis, stigma, and blame
• Child temperament
• Gender and age of a child

27. CHILDS ILLNESSES LINKED WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF
PARENTING STRESS
• Asthma Cancer, Cerebral palsy, Diabetes, Epilepsy,
Substance use, HIV/AIDS, & Congenital disease (heart
disease) etc.
• Developmental disability and Physical disability
• ADHD, Autism, Conduct disorder (externalizing
problems), Depression, anxiety (internalizing
problems), Sleep problems & disorders etc.

28. • Children influence & are influenced by, their parents’
distress.
• Parenting stress is greater in families with children:
– More reactive and have poorer self-control
– More aggressive & noncompliant
– Inattentive and hyperactive
– Anxious or depressed.
Parenting Stress and the Child

29. PARENTING BEHAVIOR & THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP
• Parent-Child “Co-regulation”: Intersubjective
experiences shared between parent & child, involving
joint attention to the same experience, as well as joint
thoughts, beliefs & emotions.
• Over time, we come to internalize beliefs, rules,
standards & expectations, based in part on our
understanding of what our parents think and feel
(Demetriou, 2000).
• Attachment and acceptance
• Co-regulation activities

30. • "Hello there pumpkin ... Mommy's comin' to get you. Yes, she
is…….. Momma's gonna get you and tickle you. What do you think
of that? ……… Come on. Come on, you little sweetie. Let me see
that smile. Humm? …….. Yeah, that's right ... thaaaat's right. [The
infant exhibits a big smile with bobbing head, and mother
responds in kind, then says,] Oh, well now, are you gonna say
something'? Are ya? [Pause, mother nodding head, widening
eyes.] Come on! [Pause.] Come on! [The baby begins cycling
movements of the arms and kicking the feet.] Come on. [Drawn
out, then longer pause.] Yeah! [as the baby bursts forth with a
gurgling sound, the caregiver then laughs and hugs the baby]."

31. Family, Culture, Community
• Parents as partners
• Family structures and types
• Socioeconomic resources

32. Coping: What Do I Do Now?
• Emotion-focused coping
• Problem-focused coping

33. 1. Impulsive/Careless problem solving, characterized
by impulsive, hurried, and careless attempts at
problem resolution
2. Avoidant problem solving-procrastination, passivity,
and overdependence on others to provide solutions;
3. Rational problem solving--constructive, systematic &
uses planning.
Problem-Solving Skills Training

34. Mindfulness: A way of de-stressing
yourself

35. Discussions
35

37. 3 MINUTE BREATHING SPACE

38. Eating One Raisin: A First Taste of
Mindfulness

39. Everyday Mindfulness: The
journey is the destination

40. Sitting with:
 The Breath
 The Breath and the Body as a Whole
 Sound
 Thoughts and Feelings
 Choiceless Awareness
Sitting Mindfulness Meditation

42. Congratulate yourself
for being in the state of mindfulness & nourishing
yourself

43. Mindful Speaking and Listening