Parents are stressed for the holidays, poll finds. What do they worry about most?
Home-cooked meals, family gatherings and long-awaited presents are staples of the holiday season in many households, but the effort to make wishes come true weighs heavily on some parents, a new study shows.
C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health asked over 2,000 parents about their stress during the holiday season. One in six parents reported high stress levels during the holidays and one in five reported their stress negatively impacts their children’s enjoyment of the holidays.
Parents who reported their stress level was high were more likely to note that it impacted their children’s enjoyment, according to the study. Almost twice as many mothers reported high levels of holiday stress (23%) than fathers (12%).
In their responses, parents rated three things to be the most probable stress-inducing factors during the holidays:
- 31% said that extra shopping and holiday tasks were very likely to cause stress;
- 30% said that keeping family healthy was very likely to cause stress;
- 29% said that household finances were very likely to cause stress.
Other stressors were planning for family gatherings (23%), making special holiday meals (22%) and criticism from family members about holiday plans (14%).
According to the study, parents place unrealistic expectations on themselves, too. One in four parents said they hold unattainable standards for themselves about creating a joyful holiday.
“These parents may not acknowledge that they don’t have enough time, money, or help to provide every element of a traditional holiday celebration,” the report stated. “Parents also may believe their child has unrealistic expectations about the gifts they expect to receive or the special holiday events they want to attend.”
Mott Poll co-director Sarah Clark said that parents can simplify the season by having conversations within the family about what they want out of the holidays to better rule out excessive activities or efforts that may not be of interest to the family.
“Once you know what’s important to keep, you can discuss reducing effort for some holiday preparations,” Clark said in a news release. “It’s OK for traditions to evolve over time, and for families to redefine what the ‘perfect’ holiday looks like to them.”
C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital also asked parents how they cope with stress in December and January.
According to the poll, 71% of parents found that spending time alone was the most effective way of recharging and 55% said that listening to music eased their tension.
In addition, 46% of parents found solace in exercise, 28% turned to prayer or religious services, and 23% reported getting help from other family members or work.
At the conclusion of the study, researchers noted that having children home for the holidays is a joyful occasion, but can also be a source of stress that is often dismissed. One-third of parents reported a sense of relief when their child was reinstated into school after the holidays.
While children are out of school, Clark said it was a good opportunity to teach kids how to cope with stressful situations.
“The holiday season may be a time for parents to model good mental health hygiene, by verbalizing how they recognize and try to relieve stress,” Clark said. “This approach is an invitation for children to share their own feelings of stress and a reminder to take action when their stress is elevated.”
For families worried about navigating the holidays, relatives and COVID-19, Indiana University Health has tips and tricks for managing merriness during the pandemic.
This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Parents are stressed for the holidays, poll finds. What do they worry about most?."
