Comorbid Conditions Symptom Tests

10 Questions to Reveal Parental Burnout

If you feel exhausted, emotionally distant from your kid(s) and ineffective as a parent, you might be experiencing parental burnout — a condition that disproportionately affects caregivers of children with ADHD. Take this 10-question quiz to learn more about your symptoms.

By ADDitude Editors Verified Updated on August 24, 2023
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parental burnout; exhaustion
parental burnout; exhaustion

Parental burnout — characterized by overwhelming exhaustion, emotional distancing from one’s children, and a sense of parental ineffectiveness — may result from chronic stress and a lack of resources, plus inability to cope.1 Parental burnout skyrocketed during the pandemic, when 66% of working parents reported feeling burned out, according to a study from Ohio State University.2

Some caregivers face greater risk of parental burnout, including women and parents of neurodivergent children. Parents with ADHD, especially those who are raising children with the same condition, also face an elevated risk for stress, parenting challenges (exacerbated by symptoms of ADHD), coping difficulties, and exhaustion — a perfect storm for burnout.3 4 5

If you’re wondering whether you’re experiencing signs of parental burnout, answer the questions below and share the results with a licensed mental health professional.

This self-test — drafted by ADDitude editors and informed, in part, by The Parental Burnout Assessment — is designed to screen for the possibility of parental burnout, and it is intended for personal use only. This test is not intended as a diagnostic tool.

I’m having more trouble concentrating and focusing (i.e., brain fog) as a result of parenting.

Even before my morning has started, I feel exhausted by the thought of another day of caring for my child/children.

I don’t feel like the good parent that I used to be.

I’m so stressed out due to parenting that I have trouble falling and/or staying asleep.

I feel like parenting uses up most, if not all, of my energy. I don’t have much time for anything else.

I find it difficult to enjoy being with my child/children.

I find myself increasingly impatient and critical of my child/children.

I no longer feel able to show or convey to my kid(s) how much I love them.

I feel overwhelmed and exhausted at the end of the day from looking after my child/children and juggling other responsibilities.

I feel like I’m in survival mode or autopilot in my role as a parent.


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Parental Burnout: Next Steps

View Article Sources

1 Mikolajczak, M., Gross, J. J., & Roskam, I. (2019). Parental Burnout: What Is It, and Why Does It Matter? Clinical Psychological Science, 7(6), 1319–1329. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702619858430

2 Gawlik, K., Melnyk Mazurek, B. (2022). Pandemic parenting: Examining the epidemic of working parental burnout and strategies to help. The Ohio State University. https://wellness.osu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/2022/05/OCWO_ParentalBurnout_3674200_Report_FINAL.pdf

3 Chronis-Tuscano, A., Wang, C. H., Woods, K. E., Strickland, J., & Stein, M. A. (2017). Parent ADHD and Evidence-Based Treatment for Their Children: Review and Directions for Future Research. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 45(3), 501–517. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-016-0238-5

4 Chronis-Tuscano, A., Raggi, V. L., Clarke, T. L., Rooney, M. E., Diaz, Y., & Pian, J. (2008). Associations between maternal attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and parenting. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 36(8), 1237–1250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-008-9246-4

5 Mokrova, I., O’Brien, M., Calkins, S., & Keane, S. (2010). Parental ADHD Symptomology and Ineffective Parenting: The Connecting Link of Home Chaos. Parenting, science and practice, 10(2), 119–135. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295190903212844