Parenting an adolescent: An examination of coparenting, parental burnout, and perceived spousal support levels

The main purpose of the present study is to examine the levels of coparenting, spousal support, and parental burnout among parents of adolescents. In addition, it aims to investigate whether these variables differ significantly across various demographic characteristics, including length of marriage, number of children, age of children, and employment status. Furthermore, the study explores the extent to which parental burnout can be predicted by coparenting and perceived spousal support. The population of the study consists of married families residing in Turkey with children between the ages of 12 and 19. The sample comprises 559 parents (286 fathers [51%] and 273 mothers [49%]) residing in various provinces of Turkey. Data were collected using the "Coparenting Scale (CS)," "Parental Burnout Scale (PBS)," and "Spousal Support Scale (SSS)," as well as a "Personal Information Form" developed by the researcher. The results of the study revealed significant differences in coparenting, spousal support, and parental burnout levels based on participants' demographic characteristics. Specifically, parents with fewer than four children, those married for less than 15 years, and couples where both spouses are employed reported higher levels of coparenting and spousal support, as well as lower levels of parental burnout. Additionally, a moderate, positive, and statistically significant correlation was found between coparenting and spousal support. Conversely, moderate and negative significant correlations were identified between both coparenting and spousal support and parental burnout. The findings also demonstrated that both coparenting and spousal support significantly predicted parental burnout. These two variables together explained 46% of the total variance in parental burnout levels. Among the predictor variables, spousal support emerged as the stronger predictor, followed by coparenting. The findings were discussed in relation to the existing literature, and recommendations were presented for practitioners and future research. Keywords: Coparenting, spousal support, parental burnout, adolescence