What Is the Burnout of Mothers with Infants and Toddlers during the COVID-19 Pandemic? In Relation to Parenting Stress, Depression, and Parenting Efficacy

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors influencing burnout of mothers with infants or toddlers in the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The subjects of this study were 105 mothers who sent their children to daycare centers or kindergartens located in S and G cities. They were women who have experienced caring for children entirely at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Man–Whitney U test, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and a stepwise multiple regression using the SPSS Window 25.0 program. Results: The subjects’ burnout and parenting stress (r = 0.62, p < 0.001), depression (r = 0.58, p < 0.001), and parenting efficacy (r = −0.62, p < 0.001) showed a large correlation. The factors affecting the subjects’ burnout were parenting stress (β = 0.28, p < 0.001), parenting efficacy (β = −0.40, p < 0.001), depression (β = 0.27, p < 0.001), and spouse’s support (nearly none) (β = 0.18, p = 0.004). These variables explained 64.0% of the subjects’ burnout. Conclusions: Through the research results, it was confirmed that parenting stress, parenting efficacy, depression, and spouse’s support influence the mother’s burnout. Therefore, in future studies, it is necessary to expand mental health programs to lower parenting stress and depression into interventional studies on specific educational strategies such as programs to promote efficacy and improve spouse’s support.