Parental burnout and sleep problems in Iranian mothers of primary school‐aged children: Exploring the mediation effect of emotional schemas

OBJECTIVES: Sleep is crucial for mental well‐being. Evidence suggests sleep problems in mothers can result from parental burnout. The possible mediators that link parental burnout to sleep problems have not been investigated. This study seeks to explore the mediational role of emotional schemas as psychological constructs, which relate parental burnout to sleep problems in mothers of school‐aged children. METHOD: A total of 224 mothers participated voluntarily in this cross‐sectional study. Data were collected online. The participants completed Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA) scale, Mini Sleep Questionnaire‐Persian Version (MSQ‐P), and Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS II). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed using the bootstrap method to assess the mediation model. RESULTS: The findings of this research indicate a positive correlation exists between parental burnout, emotional schemas, and insomnia/hypersomnia. The mediation analysis confirmed parental burnout and insomnia/ hypersomnia are related indirectly through emotional schemas. CONCLUSION: Implications of the findings is that when parental burnout is present, the psychological treatment of sleep problems may benefit from targeting emotional schemas. However, further research is needed to determine whether similar mediational effects are replicated.