Being a parent It’s the most difficult job in the world. This saying accompanies every family experience. Now the results of a research are arriving which however raises the level of concern. An epidemic of loneliness and exhaustion of psychophysical energy is hitting Western families. In short, most parents feel alone and abandoned when faced with the challenge of raising, educating and supporting their children.
Parenting alone: here is the American research
The researchers of Ohio State University conducted a study which led them to state that 66% of parents suffer from:
loneliness, isolation, exhaustion.
62% of parents cannot cope with all the tasks of the role, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.
Loneliness like smoking cigarettes
Just a few months ago the United States government had raised the alarm of loneliness and isolation. The situation is similar in Italy too. Several studies have confirmed that these two situations are dangerous for human health such as poor nutrition, cigarette smoking or a sedentary lifestyle.
No outside help for most parents
But there’s more. The study highlighted that 38% of parents complain that no one helps them in their role.
Many would like to a calm discussion with other parents: this is 79% of them, basically 4 out of 5 parents. Connections with those who have the same role would be appreciated by the vast majority of them. Generally apart though the infamous chats between parents, there are no other moments of sharing. However, the survey shows that parents meet in a hurry only when entering and leaving school, without any real socialization time.
Parenting alone can compromise your physical and mental health
The researchers recall precisely what many studies carried out on the topic support, namely that loneliness has a strong negative impact on physical and mental well-being. We know that affects cardiovascular healthaccelerates cognitive decline, increases the risk of anxiety and depression, lowers immune defenses.
It becomes fundamental have people to discuss and relate to in this difficult task. Until a few generations ago we were helped a lot by family and neighbors, whereas now everyone is only focused on their family. Even the change in the role of mothers, who in previous generations dedicated themselves above all to their children, has radically changed and they find it difficult to juggle their various parental and professional commitments.”