Roskam, I.Arıkan, Gizem2023-11-022023-11-022023-050933-7954http://hdl.handle.net/10679/8921https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-023-02487-zPurpose: The prevalence of parental burnout, a condition that has severe consequences for both parents and children, varies dramatically across countries and is highest in Western countries characterized by high individualism. Method: In this study, we examined the mediators of the relationship between individualism measured at the country level and parental burnout measured at the individual level in 36 countries (16,059 parents). Results: The results revealed three mediating mechanisms, that is, self-discrepancies between socially prescribed and actual parental selves, high agency and self-directed socialization goals, and low parental task sharing, by which individualism leads to an increased risk of burnout among parents. Conclusion: The results confirm that the three mediators under consideration are all involved, and that mediation was higher for self-discrepancies between socially prescribed and actual parental selves, then parental task sharing, and lastly self-directed socialization goals. The results provide some important indications of how to prevent parental burnout at the societal level in Western countries.engrestrictedAccessarticle00099251330000110.1007/s00127-023-02487-zCultureExhaustionFathersIndividualismMothers2-s2.0-85159614996