Page 14 - ParentsWorld March 2020 flipbuilder

nurturing 21st century children
cover

story

Parent sTREss sCAlE

arents can assess their stress levels! Answer this short 12. It is difficult to balance different responsibilities be-
Pquestionnaire indicating the degree to which you agree cause of my children.
or disagree with the following statements by writing the 13. The behaviour of my children is often embarrassing
appropriate number against each statement. and/or stressful.
14. If I had to do it over again, I might decide not to
1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Undecided 4 = Agree have children.
5 = Strongly agree 15. I am often overwhelmed by the responsibility of being
a parent.
1. I am happy in my role as a parent. 16. Having children has meant having too few choices
2. There is little or nothing I wouldn't do for my chil- and too little control over my life.
dren if necessary. 17. I am satisfied as a parent.
3. Caring for my children sometimes takes more time 18. I find my children enjoyable.
and energy than I have to give.
4. I sometimes worry whether I am doing enough for Scoring
my children. To compute the parental stress score, statements 1, 2,
5. I feel close to my children. 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, and 18 should be reverse scored as fol-
6. I enjoy spending time with my children. lows: (1=5) (2=4) (3=3) (4=2) (5=1) while others scored
7. My children are an important source of affection for normally. Total all the item scores. Possible scores on
me. the scale range between 18-90. High scores on the scale
8. Having children gives me a more certain and optimis- indicate greater parent stress
tic view for the future.
9. The major stressor in my life is my children.
10. Having children leaves little time to enjoy life. Source: Berry, J.O, & Jones, W. H. (1995) — The Parental Stress
11. Having children has been a financial burden. Scale: Initial psychometric evidence.

Thakkor recommends meditation and sacrifice balanced meals, and skip
yoga to beat parenting stress. “low cortisol breakfast. To reduce stress, the
levels in the body cause anxiety, irritabil- three daily meals should be eaten
ity and fatigue. Yoga exercises balance the regularly and mindfully. And they
secretion of hormones, calm the brain, should include carbs, proteins, fats,
control anxiety, enable clear thinking, and vitamins and minerals. Moreover
build patience and stamina. Breathing ex- include fruits, sprouts, and lentils in
ercises improve lung capacity and synchro- the family diet. A well-balanced diet
nise oxygen levels in body cells. Parents and adequate sleep is the prerequi-
should spend at least 30 minutes practising site of parents and children leading
yoga everyday; the benefits will be huge,” Dr. Trupti Anandnath K. stress-free healthy lives,” advises
promises Thakkor. Anandnath.
In addition, nutritionist Dr. Trupti Dr. Trupti Anandnath K. Finally, the unanimous advice for
Anandnath K. recommends healthy and parents from experts interviewed
well-balanced diets to combat parental for this story is — don’t be afraid to
burnout. “The first casualty of jam-packed daily sched- ask for help and support from extended family and friends
ules is food intake. In the daily struggle to balance home, when you need it. The shortest route to exhaustion is try-
children and work, parents especially women, tend to ing to do it all by yourself!

parentsworld • march 2020 14